Dear Feastlings,
Those of you who’ve lived in Tucson and been wine-centric folk for an extended period of time probably can’t help but know Andy Ramirez. Those of us at Feast who go way back worked with Andres at the Dish and the RumRunner, and for years he’s been selling us wines as a wholesaler now as well. Luckily for all of us, he’ll be bringing his goofy charm and serious wine knowledge to Feast on Sunday, January 29th, along with some really special Spanish wines of which we’re sure you’ll become, as we are, quite fond. The tasting takes place at 3:30 and costs $30 plus tax and tip, and includes our customary Last Sunday food pairings. As usual, reservations made by web or email won’t hold you a place at the tasting, so if you’d like to join us, you’ll want to give us a ring at 326-9363. We hope you can join us.
Spanish wines
2015 Juan Gil Dry Moscatel Seco, Jumilla $12.00
This white wine is made from the vineyards of Moscatel de Grano Menudo –Small Grain Muscat- located on gently sloping hillsides at 700 meters of altitude in the valley of La Aragona, north of Jumilla, with chalky soils, dry climate and many hours of sun forming a microclimate perfect for growing this variety.
Light, green-tinged gold. Fresh melon, peach and kiwi aromas are complemented by jasmine and white pepper. Juicy, tightly wound pit fruit and honeydew flavors. Delivers a lot of juicy, refreshing fruit and comes off almost weightless on the long, intensely spicy finish.
2015 Kentia Albariño, Rias Baixas $15.00
Rías Baixas boasts a number of high-quality grapes; chief among them is Albariño, occupying more than 90% of the DO’s vineyard area. The soils are largely granite, with some chalk and clay. The earth here offers lots of minerals but few nutrients, making it perfect for wine-growing. Old vineyards planted in Pérgola system, traditional from this area, produce the grapes of Albariño with a high level of acidity given the proximity with the Atlantic Ocean and the high level of rains, this wine will continue to develop complexity with the bottle age.
The wine appears pale gold or straw-colored, with tinges of green. Fresh, crisp and fragrant with a virtual shopping cart of flavors and aromas: melon, pear, peach, tropical fruit, subtle herbaceous element combine magnificently to produce this enticing silky white with pleasing minerality and refreshing acidity. Balanced, distinctive and elegant.
2015 Honor Vera Garnacha, Calatayud $11.00
The grapes come from vineyards, 30-40 years old, with yields of 2T/Ha and located high on the hillsides, 700-900 meters above sea level. The vineyards are planted in mainly decomposed slate and gravely clay soils. The fermentation was carried out in small stainless steel tanks for 15 days at temperatures below 27ºC, and then spent a short period of two months in French oak barrels. It exhibits greater aromatic complexity, richness with mineral and blueberry notes leading to a savory and spicy wine nicely balanced and very easy to drink.
2014 Cellers Can Blau “Blau,” Montsant $18.00
4 months in French oak barrels. The vineyards of Garnacha planted in soils of slate -llicorella-, Cariñena vineyards grow In clay soils and Syrah vineyards located In limestone soils to obtain this complex wine. This crowd-pleasing effort delivers a big mouthful of fruit
along with notes of mineral, lavender, blueberry and plum. Forward, tasty, and well-balanced, it is an excellent value for drinking over the next 3-4 years.
2014 Bodega Juan Gil Monastrell, Jumilla $18.00
The grapes used in the production of this wine come from old vineyards. Chalky and rocky limestone soils, very poor in
nutrients make this an ideal location to grow grapes of Monastrell with a low yield of about 1.04 Tons/acre -2,500 Kg/Ha- The wine was aged in French oak for 12 months. Deep purple/black color. Explosive aromas of ripe currant, red berries and smoked notes. Rich, powerful and voluminous on the attack, a huge mouthful of crème-de-cassis concentration, silken and juicy in the mid-palate with excellent length and persistence. Fine, ripe tannins, at once supple and structurally present.
2012 Bodegas Tridente “Rejón,” Toro $50.00
Rejón is the name of Bodega Tridente’s best vineyard of Tempranillo located in the town of El Pego, within Toro’s appellation, the 130-year-old vines are planted on incredible top layer of gravel over very sandy soils. This very limited production tries to reflect the typicity and genuineness of the indigenous grapes coming from this unique terroir. The grapes are carefully hand- picked in small baskets of 15 Kgs, fermented in small vats and moved to French oak 225-liter barrels, remaining for 20 months. The Rejón was an ancient farming tool used with the plows during the 19th century, when these vines were planted, it was already used by the Romans in a very basic version but with identical system, which still prevails in contemporary and modern plows called Rejas –Plowshares.
Opaque purple. Vibrant, seductively perfumed aromas of blackberry, violet candy, star anise and cracked pepper. Weighty dark berry flavors are brightened by smoky minerals, picking up a floral pastille quality with air. The smooth, sweet finish repeats the dark berry quality and leaves sexy floral and mineral notes behind. This distinctly elegant wine has the concentration and balance to reward patience.