Wines of Valencia
26-Nov-08 - Valencia tasting at the former Great Eastern by Liverpool Street station in London (now known as the Andaz) for a full-day tasting of wines from the Comunidad de Valencia (DDOO Alicante, Utiel-Requena (UR), Valencia (V) and Cava (C) as well as the odd VdM), organised by the Chamber of Commerce of Valencia in Spain using UK-based Hispanic Consulting (see the Rueda tasting 21-Oct-08). Tasted 54 wines and was rather impressed. I did this tasting (not necessarily with the same group of bodegas) just over a year ago and thought then that the wines were improving strongly, but another year and another leap in quality. People tend to think of Valencia as a never-ending fount of good value-for-money supermarket-level wines and, indeed, it is, but there is more. My 17+ picks below, and prices (where I was able to get them) are calculated according to the JR consultancy spreadsheet (and I have erred on the high side) as to what they would approximately be at retail in the UK (allowing for the knee-jerk changes in duty and VAT from 01-Dec-08 by the gink with the eyebrows):
Agro de Bazán (UR) - 2006 Mas de Bazán Crianza Merlot - £10-£11 - I know this bodega from the parent company in the DO Rías Baixas where they turn out an excellent Albariño, but this was good, well-structured red with good balance an just enough oak to showcase the fruit. 17/20.
2007 Mas de Bazán Rosado is a Bobal, Merlot and Cabernet-Sauvignon mix and I wrote "delicious glugger, 'nouveau' style, aromatic, perfumed, simple, delicious". 17/20.
Sebiran - NV Coto d'Árcis Brut (C), Macabeo - £9 - The mousse didn't look much in the glass but GB it exploded powerfully on the palate. Hint of autolysis on the nose, and warm, toasty, spicy, long finish. Very good. 17/20.
2007 Coto d'Árcis Bobal (UR) - £5-£6 - smoky nose, big, crisp fruit on the foretaste, big structure, style, a bit austere at the moment but has potential. Needs time. 17/20.
NV Coto d'Árcis Brut Especial (C), Macabeo - £11-£12 - Good mousse, lovely structure with power, weight and excellent fruit balance. Complex finish. Excellent. 18/20.
Coviñas (UR) - 2005 Aula Crianza Merlot - £7-£8 - Bright perfume, big fruit and structure on the mid-palate, oak noticeable, austere finish but lovely complex structure. Needs time. 17/20.
An honourable mention here to Viña Enterizo Rosado (Bobal) and Viña Enterizo Tempranillo, both well-made and very acceptable wines (16/20) - but at a price which could see them on UK shelves at the magic £3.99 a bottle.
Emilio Clemente (UR) - 2004 Emilio Clemente Crianza, Tempranillo, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot, Bobal - £12-£13 - 'Nicey-spicy' nose with deep dark fruit, big structure on the mid-palate with good fruit balance, lotsa tannin but the fruit is fighting through. 17/20.
2004 Peñas Negras, Tempranillo, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot, 5 months French oak - £6-£7 - Dark fruit nose, some austerity but good structure, nice fruit balance on mid-palate. Needs a bit more time. 17/20.
Chozas Carrascal (V) - 2007 El Cabernetf de Chozas Carrascal - £17 - The subscript 'f' gives away that this is Cabernet-Franc (not permitted in the DO Valencia) and not Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is very good, however, if rather closed on the nose. The palate offers big structure and lots of mineral fruit, it needs time. 17/20.
Las Ocho - £11-£12 - This made from eight varieties (hence the name) and has an almost tobacco-y nose with big Cabernet-Sauvignon fruit on the palate with a lot of tannin (but enough, not too much) and a long, rich finish. 17/20.
Dominio de la Vega - NV Cava Brut (C), Macabeo - £8-£9 - Some autolysis on the nose and a good mousse, clean fresh and delicious on the palate, although perhaps just off-dry. 17/20.
NV Cava Rosado (C), Garnacha - £8-£9 - Some rich fruit on nose and palate, but the finish is bone dry. Delicious. 17/20
NV Cava Rosado (C), Pinot Noir - £13-£14 - With 20 months on the lees this has a gentle strawberry perfume and lovely, balanced fruit. 17/20.
2006 Cava Brut Nature Reserva, 80/20 Macabeo/Chardonnay - £16-£17 - Very clean, dry, 'chalky' Chardonnay noticeable on the nose and a crisp, clean bone-dry finish with lipsmacking acidity. 17/20.
NV Artemayor Cava (C), 60/40 Macabeo/Chardonnay - £22 - Barrel-fermented base wine with six months in new French oak and 36 months on the lees gives this a wonderful richness and a long, smooth finish. Class! 18/20.
2004/5/6 Artemayor (UR), Bobal - Single vineyard Bobal with 16 months in oak gives subtle power and fruit on the nose, big fruit and commensurate tannins on the mid-palate and a warm, spicy, oaky length with a hint of bonfire. Complex and starting to drink excellently. 18/20.
Sierra Norte Ecovitis (UR) - 2005 Cerro Bercial Premium Ladera Los Cantos, 63/37 Bobal/Cabernet-Sauvignon - £15-£16 - Smoky-oaky, tight, dark fruit nose and very tight tannins on the palate but big structure and a long, warm finish. There is much potential here. 17/20.
Señorío de Villafames (VdM) - 2002 Fernando Diago, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah - £14-£15 - Raisiny fruit and a 'hidden' richness on the nose, big fruit, power and spice on the plate, and a long finish. 17/20.
Finca Ardal (UR) - 2003 Lagar de Lar Crianza, Tempranillo, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot - £13-£14 - Dark Tempranillo fruit on the nose, big structure, power and fruit, tannins also big but in balance, long. Excellent. 18/20.
2005 Ocho Cuerdas Bobal - Dark, spicy, peppery nose, big fruit and tannins on the palate and a long finish but this needs more time. 17/20
2005 Ocho Cuerdas Crianza, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah - £11-£12 - rather closed on the nose, but some hints of fruit, good, big stuff with power, weight and concentration. Good length. 17/20.
Pago Casa Gran (V) - 2006 Falcata, Monastrell, Garnacha Tintorera, Syrah, Cabernet - £9-£10 - Rich, 'dark chocolate' nose, big, rich structured, complex palate with a powerful finish.
2007 Repos, Moscatel, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer - £6-£7 - Spicy Moscatel nose, very clean, crisp acidity with musky fruit and bone dry on the finish. Delicious. 17/20
2006 Falcata Arena, Monastrell, Garnacha Tintorera - £14-£15 - Another Biggie: power, oaky vanilla, toast and big, dark fruit, beautifully integrated. Long. 18/20.
Romeral Vinícola (UR) - 2008 Castillo Requena Rosado, Bobal - £5-£6 - Very crisp, fresh, strawberry-scented fruit, delicious, gluggable, uncomplicated bright fruit. 17/20.
2002 Lomas del Castillo Reserva, Tempranillo, Bobal - £5-£6 - Soft, subtle fruit with a hint of richness on the nose, some austere tannins but the fruit fights through on the mid-palate, long, very good. 17/20.
Overall, the tasting showed that the Valencia region, whilst still able to turn out good, everyday wines at supermarket prices, is also producing wines of considerable class higher up the price scale sometimes, perhaps, a little ambitiously priced but nevertheless reflecting an enormous amount of hard work by the bodegas - my lowest mark of the whole tasting was 14/20, which is well with the limits of acceptability.
The tasting also changed my opinion of non-Catalan Cava. In general I've always found these wines pleasant, uncomplicated and decent but uninspiring, as they tend to be 100% Macabeo which is something of a neutral grape. However, the wines on show here were very different: judicious use of oak for some of the base-wines and (I never thought I'd hear myself say this) some Chardonnay, plus long ageing on the lees really does deliver results.
Agro de Bazán (UR) - 2006 Mas de Bazán Crianza Merlot - £10-£11 - I know this bodega from the parent company in the DO Rías Baixas where they turn out an excellent Albariño, but this was good, well-structured red with good balance an just enough oak to showcase the fruit. 17/20.
2007 Mas de Bazán Rosado is a Bobal, Merlot and Cabernet-Sauvignon mix and I wrote "delicious glugger, 'nouveau' style, aromatic, perfumed, simple, delicious". 17/20.
Sebiran - NV Coto d'Árcis Brut (C), Macabeo - £9 - The mousse didn't look much in the glass but GB it exploded powerfully on the palate. Hint of autolysis on the nose, and warm, toasty, spicy, long finish. Very good. 17/20.
2007 Coto d'Árcis Bobal (UR) - £5-£6 - smoky nose, big, crisp fruit on the foretaste, big structure, style, a bit austere at the moment but has potential. Needs time. 17/20.
NV Coto d'Árcis Brut Especial (C), Macabeo - £11-£12 - Good mousse, lovely structure with power, weight and excellent fruit balance. Complex finish. Excellent. 18/20.
Coviñas (UR) - 2005 Aula Crianza Merlot - £7-£8 - Bright perfume, big fruit and structure on the mid-palate, oak noticeable, austere finish but lovely complex structure. Needs time. 17/20.
An honourable mention here to Viña Enterizo Rosado (Bobal) and Viña Enterizo Tempranillo, both well-made and very acceptable wines (16/20) - but at a price which could see them on UK shelves at the magic £3.99 a bottle.
Emilio Clemente (UR) - 2004 Emilio Clemente Crianza, Tempranillo, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot, Bobal - £12-£13 - 'Nicey-spicy' nose with deep dark fruit, big structure on the mid-palate with good fruit balance, lotsa tannin but the fruit is fighting through. 17/20.
2004 Peñas Negras, Tempranillo, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot, 5 months French oak - £6-£7 - Dark fruit nose, some austerity but good structure, nice fruit balance on mid-palate. Needs a bit more time. 17/20.
Chozas Carrascal (V) - 2007 El Cabernetf de Chozas Carrascal - £17 - The subscript 'f' gives away that this is Cabernet-Franc (not permitted in the DO Valencia) and not Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is very good, however, if rather closed on the nose. The palate offers big structure and lots of mineral fruit, it needs time. 17/20.
Las Ocho - £11-£12 - This made from eight varieties (hence the name) and has an almost tobacco-y nose with big Cabernet-Sauvignon fruit on the palate with a lot of tannin (but enough, not too much) and a long, rich finish. 17/20.
Dominio de la Vega - NV Cava Brut (C), Macabeo - £8-£9 - Some autolysis on the nose and a good mousse, clean fresh and delicious on the palate, although perhaps just off-dry. 17/20.
NV Cava Rosado (C), Garnacha - £8-£9 - Some rich fruit on nose and palate, but the finish is bone dry. Delicious. 17/20
NV Cava Rosado (C), Pinot Noir - £13-£14 - With 20 months on the lees this has a gentle strawberry perfume and lovely, balanced fruit. 17/20.
2006 Cava Brut Nature Reserva, 80/20 Macabeo/Chardonnay - £16-£17 - Very clean, dry, 'chalky' Chardonnay noticeable on the nose and a crisp, clean bone-dry finish with lipsmacking acidity. 17/20.
NV Artemayor Cava (C), 60/40 Macabeo/Chardonnay - £22 - Barrel-fermented base wine with six months in new French oak and 36 months on the lees gives this a wonderful richness and a long, smooth finish. Class! 18/20.
2004/5/6 Artemayor (UR), Bobal - Single vineyard Bobal with 16 months in oak gives subtle power and fruit on the nose, big fruit and commensurate tannins on the mid-palate and a warm, spicy, oaky length with a hint of bonfire. Complex and starting to drink excellently. 18/20.
Sierra Norte Ecovitis (UR) - 2005 Cerro Bercial Premium Ladera Los Cantos, 63/37 Bobal/Cabernet-Sauvignon - £15-£16 - Smoky-oaky, tight, dark fruit nose and very tight tannins on the palate but big structure and a long, warm finish. There is much potential here. 17/20.
Señorío de Villafames (VdM) - 2002 Fernando Diago, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah - £14-£15 - Raisiny fruit and a 'hidden' richness on the nose, big fruit, power and spice on the plate, and a long finish. 17/20.
Finca Ardal (UR) - 2003 Lagar de Lar Crianza, Tempranillo, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot - £13-£14 - Dark Tempranillo fruit on the nose, big structure, power and fruit, tannins also big but in balance, long. Excellent. 18/20.
2005 Ocho Cuerdas Bobal - Dark, spicy, peppery nose, big fruit and tannins on the palate and a long finish but this needs more time. 17/20
2005 Ocho Cuerdas Crianza, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah - £11-£12 - rather closed on the nose, but some hints of fruit, good, big stuff with power, weight and concentration. Good length. 17/20.
Pago Casa Gran (V) - 2006 Falcata, Monastrell, Garnacha Tintorera, Syrah, Cabernet - £9-£10 - Rich, 'dark chocolate' nose, big, rich structured, complex palate with a powerful finish.
2007 Repos, Moscatel, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer - £6-£7 - Spicy Moscatel nose, very clean, crisp acidity with musky fruit and bone dry on the finish. Delicious. 17/20
2006 Falcata Arena, Monastrell, Garnacha Tintorera - £14-£15 - Another Biggie: power, oaky vanilla, toast and big, dark fruit, beautifully integrated. Long. 18/20.
Romeral Vinícola (UR) - 2008 Castillo Requena Rosado, Bobal - £5-£6 - Very crisp, fresh, strawberry-scented fruit, delicious, gluggable, uncomplicated bright fruit. 17/20.
2002 Lomas del Castillo Reserva, Tempranillo, Bobal - £5-£6 - Soft, subtle fruit with a hint of richness on the nose, some austere tannins but the fruit fights through on the mid-palate, long, very good. 17/20.
Overall, the tasting showed that the Valencia region, whilst still able to turn out good, everyday wines at supermarket prices, is also producing wines of considerable class higher up the price scale sometimes, perhaps, a little ambitiously priced but nevertheless reflecting an enormous amount of hard work by the bodegas - my lowest mark of the whole tasting was 14/20, which is well with the limits of acceptability.
The tasting also changed my opinion of non-Catalan Cava. In general I've always found these wines pleasant, uncomplicated and decent but uninspiring, as they tend to be 100% Macabeo which is something of a neutral grape. However, the wines on show here were very different: judicious use of oak for some of the base-wines and (I never thought I'd hear myself say this) some Chardonnay, plus long ageing on the lees really does deliver results.
posted by John Radford at
07:49
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