Wine Tasting: Spain and Portugal

Thanks once again to Matt and Mark and Melanie for letting us take over their place while the kitchen remodel continues. There were several great deals among the wines we drank, and a nice set of Riojas that illustrate the changes going on in that region. And I really liked all the whites!

Here's the complete list, in the order we drank them, my favorites in bold:

1. NV Cristalino Brut ($7.99): stunning value in a basic sparkling wine (and #39 on "The Best Buys of 2008" from the Wine Enthusiast). Balanced, no off flavors, nice!


2. 2007 El Hada Verdejo-Viura Rueda, Spain ($9.99): clean, crisp, refreshing, great value (Wine Advocate "Best Buy White Whine $20 and under").


3. 2007 Adega Ponte de Lima "Adamado" Vinho Verde, Portugal ($9.99): a little sweet, lots of green apples, but nicely offset by a clean, minerally finish, this is what I'd want poolside on a hot day (one of Bon Appetit's Great Bargain Bottles).


4. 2007 Borsao "Tres Picos" Garnacha Campo de Borja, Spain ($13.99): widely available, very popular, and a consistent value, this is a lovely lighter red, dominated by cherry flavors.


5. 2004 Bodegas LAN Reserva Rioja, Spain ($15.99): the first of 4 wines from Rioja, all made principally from the Tempranillo grape, this is another consistent value, showing some of the darker, dustier flavors that Rioja is known for (leather, tobacco, black pepper), but more approachable that a straight "traditional" Rioja. (#52 in Wine Spectator's Top 100 of 2008).


6. 2005 Viña Santurnia Crianza Rioja, Spain ($12.99): my favorite of the night, classic Rioja, with earthy, dusty character, solid tannins and acidity, should be a great food wine, total bargain (90 pts Wine Spectator)


7. 1999 Lopez de Heredia "Vina Tondonia" Reserva, Rioja ($39.99): another in the classic style, this time with 10 years of age, making it much mellower, even less fruit, but all the classic leather and tobacco. Price is a bit too high, tho. (Tanzer 91 pts)


8. 2006 Zuazo Gaston "Vendimia Seleccionada" Rioja, Spain ($12.99): another solid value, but outshone by the Santurnia


9. 2005 Chryseia (Portugal) ($29.99): this one split the crowd. I didn't like it, turned off by hints of eucalyptus, but other loved it, and it seemed to get better with time (Parker 92 pts)


10. 2004 Ardevol "Coma d’en Romeu" Priorat, Spain ($32.99): the first of two wines from Priorat, this was excellent, full bodied, much bolder than the Riojas, but outpaced by the next wine, in my opinion (Parker 94 pts)


11. 2004 Mas Doix "Salanques" Priorat, Spain ($29.99): I really liked this, a bit riper and less tannic than the Ardevol, like a good Zin but with more complexity, I wish this were a few dollars cheaper (Wine Advocate 94 pts; Tanzer 91 pts)


12. 2006 Bodegas Alto Moncayo "Veraton" Campo de Borja, Spain ($24.99): 100% grenache, made in a more "international" style than the others, bold fruit up front, spicy finish, dense, reminding me of a good (but not great) Australian Shiraz, good value (Tanzer 91 pts; Parker 93 pts)


13. 2004 Cova del Vins "Terros" Montsant, Spain ($24.99): grenache-carinena blend, big red, not quite as well balanced as the Veraton, but still tasty (Tanzer 90 pts; Parker 92 pts)