“Well I never been to Spaiiiiin, but, I kinda like their music…” and, wine! From the popular, Three Dog Night, song from 1971, I added my own flair to the end of that phrase, after sipping through the Navarro Region of Spain at the latest Women’s Wine Council. Another delightful wine fiesta in the company of some savvy, spicy senoritas. Out of six different wines that were sampled, there wasn’t a bad one in the bunch. All of the wines were solid and enjoyable. Were they all my personal favorites? Now that’s a stretch! But, as a hostess, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy or serve any of these wines.
We started the tasting with a 2009 Otazu Chardonnay. I didn’t expect to be impressed. After all, we mainly hear about vino tinto, tempranillos, or riojas associated with Spanish wines. This Chard started off with aromas reminiscent of a Sauvignon Blanc. However, once sampled, it had more of a green apple flavor and a flat finish. The pleasant surprise came in how nicely it paired with several of the dishes; including a lovely homemade Spanish olive tapenade with almonds, parmesan, and a hint of anchovy and a spectacular cilantro and onion shrimp ceviche. Ole!
The second wine in our lineup was the 2010 Torrecilla Rose. It started flirting with me from the first scents of dry, earthy aromas and finished tempting me with hints of strawberry notes. The Rose didn’t stop tantalizing there, oh, no! It continued to tease with a very light mouth feel that slowly turned into some big, bold tannins. The real treat came, once more, with how well it did the cha-cha with smoked salmon from The Fish House Veracruz, merengued with soft brie giving the wine a smart, fresh flavor; and, finally sizzled with chicken empanadas packed with roasted red and poblano peppers and cream cheese. Hotchihuahua!
Next on our list was a lovely 2008 Malon de Echaide Tinto Roble (Granacha) with a modest 13.5% alcohol content. Is it any wonder that this wine was a delight coming from 20+ year old vines? It was a joyful sensory overload full of mushroom and earthy tones giving way to a deeper smoky and black licorice taste. Can I just say, for the record, that if Pee Wee Herman had been around, he would have married this wine AND the incredible chocolate chip brownies with fresh ground cloves, on the spot! And, YUM! This Tinto Roble absolutely popped with the above mentioned chicken empanadas.
On to number four, was the classic Marco Real Crianza (Tempranillo) from 2006. More old vines, a year in oak, and all from a state of the art winery. Big, black, coffee aroma with hints of vanilla. The shocker was at how light and smooth tasting this Tempranillo was until paired with food. The crowd pleasing empanadas brought out the bolder tones in this wine and served quite nicely with the brownies.
The 2008 Inurrieta Sur was a blend of Granacha, Syrah, and Graciano and one has to love this vino for being aged six months on American oak! Bully for them! (Or, should I say Toro!) This blend had beautiful aromas with a mix of spicy smokiness and black pepper. The strangest food combo of the day was a mint, prosciutto, brie bite that hit a homerun with our group and this particular wine. A big thumbs up and double Ole’s from me on this one!
We ended our trip to Spain with a lemony fresh tasting 2010 Ochoa Moscatel. Let me be the first to admit, I am not a syrupy dessert wine type-of-person. However, when it partnered with the spicy mango slice on the chocolate chip brownie, all of my pre-conceived notions disappeared. This stuff was muy bueno!
When the tallies were all in, I was surprised that my top three picks came in the top three spots with the group. After only one other meeting, is our group already developing a sense of collective palates?! The Inurriate Sur earned the number one spot. Second place went to the smooth Malon de Echaide Tinto Roble and the Tempranillo nabbed the bronze. Rounding out the roster was the Rose in fourth, the Chardonnay was fifth, and the desert wine rounded out our roster at sixth. As one friend recently said to me, her dream was to drink her way across Europe. After this tasting, I don’t think I would mind starting off in Spain!
For recipes used in this tasting, go to http://winesofnavarra.com/cuisine/. Special thanks to The Wine Company, http://www.tvwineco.com/, of Temecula for our door prizes!
Some articles by "The Wench" can also be viewed at Temecula Nightout http://www.temeculanightout.com/. Like them AND me, The Winemaker's Wench, on FB!
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