La Rioja Alta S.A. 1994 Viña Arana Reserva On the 10th of July 1890, five Basque and Rioja families shared their passion for wine and founded “Sociedad Vinicola De La Rioja Alta” in what is known as the Haro Station District. That day was the start of an ongoing searching for excellence that their descendants still pursue today. The company changed its name to “LA RIOJA ALTA” in 1891, and in 1941 the company took on its present name, LA RIOJA ALTA, S.A. A year later, chairman of the board, Leandro Ardanza Angulo, registered the renowned brand name, “Viña Ardanza”. To give you a little taste of the town of…
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Juan Gil 2011 In a previous post I discussed wine from Jumilla, see Bodegas Luzón. The Jumilla region has been growing grapes and making wine for over 5,000 years, yet this region is just beginning to catch on. More and more offerings are appearing on the wine shelves. I have always been a big fan of Spanish wines and always passionate in my search for Fine Wines. Bodegas Juan Gil winery originated in 1916, when Juan Gil Giménez, great-grandfather of the present generation, started getting involved in the world of wine, building a winery in the heart of Jumilla. His son, Juan Gil Guerrero, dedicated his life to this…
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Breca 2011 Garnacha Old Vines I am going to comment on another fine selection from the Jorge Ordoñez Group. They produce some of the most admired and prized wines internationally. My previous comments were on LaCana, see my January 22, Post. The Bodegas Jorge Ordoñez was founded in 2004 by the Ordoñez family from Malaga and the Kracher family from Austria, together with a group of friends and entrepreneurs from Malaga. Perhaps the most novel aspect of this winemaking venture was to enlist the services of world-renowned Austrian winemaker, Alois Kracher, who was the undisputed number one in Austrian sweet wines. He was succeeded by his son Gerhard Kracher in…
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Nita 2011 Priorat Nita is a unique gem from the Spanish appellation of Priorat produced by the Meritxell Pallejà Winery. The Catalans call it Priorat, pronounced (pree-ohr-aht), most others in Spain say Priorato. However one pronounces it, Priorat has been a region on the rise for Spain causing a stir among wine aficionados around the globe for this cult wine. The vineyards are located in the southern part of the Tarragona province, approximately 2 hours from southwest Barcelona. The countryside of Priorat are hilly and rugged, with soil made of nutrient-poor brown slate soil mixed together with rocks that the Spanish call llicorella. The vines become gnarled because of the…
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Descendientes de J. Palacios Pétalos 2010 Bierzo, Spain A few years ago I was introduced to this little gem from Spain, Pétalos, and was very impressed with the wine. Bierzo is a small appellation located in the northwest corner of Spain and produces wines that are more similar to those made in Galicia than the region to which it is attached: Old Castile. During the 1990s, with the help from a small group of winemakers, the name of Bierzo came to light. The main grape variety of the appellation, Mencía, is able to generate a fruity and well balanced wine (the unique red Mencía grape is said to have been…