VIBRANT RIOJA TASTING - LOPEZ DE HEREDIA

It was a Spanish wine tasting event that really got me started exploring wine years ago, and I am repeatedly drawn back to events which feature Spanish wines.  The Vibrant Rioja tasting event of April 11, 2011 jumped onto my calendar instantly.  It was held at Hatfield's Restaurant in Los Angeles.

The room was perhaps a little small for the gathering of 20 or so importers, all pouring a number of wines at their tables.  Space was extremely limited and enthusiastic wine dealers, sommeliers and writers jammed the dining area for the afternoon event.

Great wines abounded, and I'll cover some of them in another post.  Today I want to concentrate on my favorite table of the event, the one that was so crowded the whole afternoon I could hardly edge myself in for a few tastes.  That would be the table where the wines of Lopez de Heredia were poured.

Lopez de Heredia was founded in 1877 and is a Rioja institution, still owned and operated by the same family.  They are particularly proud of their Tondonia Vineyard on the right bank of Ebro River, around which the Rioja region is drawn.  Heredia also has three other vineyards, also in Rioja Alta - Cubillo, Bosconia and Zaconia.

The winery is known as much for white wines as for red, maybe more so.  They age their whites and rosés in much the same manner the reds are aged, and they stand as a testament to age-worthy whites.  White, pink or red, this is what old-world wine is all about.

Heredia's Viña Gravonia 2000 Crianza is a white wine made from 100% Viura grapes.  This golden treat is tasting great, with a smokey and nutty taste.  It's nice and dry with great acidity.

Viña Tondonia Rosado Gran Reserva 2000 - This brownish peach-colored rosé is a blend of 60% Garnacha, 30% Tempranillo and 10% Viura.  The unusual, smokey nose leads to a palate decorated with a nutty strawberry flavor.

Viña Cubillo Crianza 2005 - A red blend of 65% Tempranillo, 25% Garnacha and some Graciano and Mazuelo filling out the rest, this wine offers a hint of anise on the nose and rustic, earthy cherry flavors.

Viña Bosconia Reserva 2002 - Smooth, dusty cherry aromas and flavors dominate this blend of 80% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacha and Graciano and Mazuelo.  It's aged in French oak for five years.

Viña Tondonia Tinto Gran Reserva 1991 - Heredia says 1991 was one of the best vintages in the history of the Tondonia Vineyard, and this wine bears out that claim.  Toasted vanilla notes and a full mouthfeel are featured in this very dry Tempranillo/Garnacha blend filled out with Graciano and Mazuelo grapes.  Aged in barrels for nine years, this wine is old-world elegance defined.

Viña Ijalba Graciano 2007 - Amanda Linn of WineWise was also pouring this new-world style, almost as an afterthought.  Its extreme fruitiness was delicious and served as an excellent counterpoint to the Heredia old-world style.

MARTIN CODAX ERGO RIOJA 2007 AT THE LOBSTER

The Lobster in Santa Monica is one of those restaurants where I expect to order white wine.  On my last visit to the seafood-with-an-ocean-view mainstay at the entance to the Santa Monica Pier I was seeing red.  Even though it was a brilliantly sunny day and we were seated right by the window, the ocean breeze blowing in through the open window actually gave me a bit of a chill.  I opted for a little warmup in the form of Martin Codax Rioja Tempranillo.  I certainly wasn't giving up the window seat!

The Spanish Tempranillo, at $7 per glass, is one of the more affordable offerings on The Lobster's extensive - and pricey - wine list.  It also served as a wonderful pre-lunch drink for folks like me who don't particularly go for Bloody Marys.  Looking around the restaurant, it seemed I was of the minority opinion on that issue.  There were a lot of celery stalks bringing in the noon hour.

This dark wine is very fruit forward on the nose with minerals apparent.  Cherry aromas mingle with an earthiness that makes me anxious to taste.

The lean and elegant palate shows earth and leathery blackberry and cherry, quite a dark flavor profile.  It's very dry with smooth tannins and a great acidity.

It's almost a shame I had no skirt steak or ribs to pair with it, but I was happy to sip it while dragging a slice of bread through the olive oil.  The fabulous pairing would come later. when my scallops would meet an Oregon Pinot Gris.

Marques de Caceres Rosado 2007

Temperatures are warming up in Los Angeles - again - this week, and this afternoon's "Sunny and 81" has me in mind of a Spanish rosado I tried a while back, Marques de Caceres.

This Rioja rosado is either a light strawberry color or a darker salmon.  Either way, it makes a beautiful statement in the glass.  13.5% abv, it's a dry rosé made from 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha.  Let's smell it.

Aromas of raspberry dominate the nose for me, but there's a very nice floral layer underneath it.  I wanted to say hibiscus, but I don't know how accurate that is.  I'll just say it's a beautiful fragrance without any further elaboration.

Don't worry about this rosé being too sweet for you.  It's nice and dry.  The strawberry flavor is matched with raspberry notes and the taste lingers quite nicely afterward.  The label suggests the usual pairings (paella, chicken, seafood) and I wouldn't argue with any of those.  However, I had it with a dessert my wife made and the taste was exquisite.  She created a mascarpone-based whip which we put on a cracked pepper and olive oil Triscuit.  The wine really had a good time pairing with that unlikely match.  We were duly impressed. Not to mention a bit surprised.