Bodegas Riojanas
By Marisa D'Vari | September 27th, 2009 | Category: Spain, Wine reviews | No Comments »
...so this evening enjoyed a rather lively evening ar the Cervantes Institute in NYC, exploring the wines of Bodegas Riojanas. Of course it is not every day that one has the opportunity to blind taste a 1962 Vina Albina vs. a 1964 Monte Real ... or in that case a 1942 Vina Albina vs. a 1955 Monte Real.
Now the tasting was rather humbling, because these seem to be supernatural grapes. The '42 seemed as fresh and lively as the day it was bottled -- only tell tale sign of years was in the faded color.
Now both of these wines are made by Bodegas Riojanas, founded in 1890 by several of Cenicero's (a town in Rioja Alta) old families who owned large vineyards in the township. Joining Helio San Miguel (who creates the programs at the Cervantes Institute) was Anthony Benitez of Vintage Wines, who imports the brand and had been the visiting instructor on Spanish Wines when I was a student at the Sommelier Society of America.
As is typical in a Helio San Miguel tasting, some of the wines were tasted blind - and I was super excited to realize that I could tell the difference between the Vina Albina and Monte Real Style, going from 2004 to 1942. During the tasting, Helio also shared that he bought a 100 year old wine from spain and it tasted still very fresh.
So, what did this tasting suggest?
On a marketing front, that Bodegaas Riojanas felt the need to create a "modern" style to appeal to its export clients in Monte Real. This style is intended to be more fruirt forward and in line with today's palate.
From a maturation standpoint, that a '42 vintage is holding up quite well, and possibly can even 'benifit' from further aging. Now the '42 was quite drinkble, and yes, even delicious, yet I think the basic benefit from bringing out a '32 would be the 'wow' and 'curioisity' factor among potential guests. Try this with a top Bordeaux or Burgundy and you will be paying a lot more than $100.
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