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This is “The Gastriad,” a chronicle of a sleepless February weekend in Valencia, full of Riedel glasses and long pours…generally from the hands of the winemakers themselves!

It was a brutal joy to hear Josep Lluis Pérez (the father of modern Priorat, and of Sara Pérez ;^)) defending traditional varieties, the sherry table was full of big names, the Tempranillo round table was an unprecedented luxury in this country: Fernando Remírez de Ganuza, Agustín Santolaya (of Roda), Chus Madrazo (of Contino), Mª José López de Heredia (of LdH-Viña Tondonia), and Juan Carlos López de la Calle (of Artadi). Considering that Telmo Rodríguez was there too—accepting the prize for wine personality of the year—there was a bunch of Riojans in that room like I’d never seen before in my life.

Friday evening was SHERRY and Montilla, followed by dinner and “sobaquillo” (‘bring your own bottles’ party). Saturday morning brutal breakfast, two lectures, tasting, three-course lunch and siesta (which we used to go out and buy wine from Valencia wineshops). Saturday evening was Rioja roundtable and tasting, followed by closing dinner and galactic sobaquillo. Survivors had an excellent Sunday lunch at the Albufera with local rice dishes and more BYO. After that we returned by train via Madrid on Sunday evening, carrying back some precious buys.

These are the sketchy Tasting Notes (TNs) almost alphabetically; many of the wines not yet out there, a few still in barrel, hence the tentativeness of some of the scores and the abundance of ‘+’s. Most TNs come from Riedel Wine Riesling/Chianti stems (488/15, me thinks):

AALTO PS 2000

Poured by Javier Zaccagnini. The wine is intensely purplish in color and my usual Aalto descriptor of ‘blue-ish’ fruit applies here too. Sweetish nose of black berries and ink, superb body and balance, with pleasantly integrated French oak notes and admirable persistence. In the (though very modern) Riojan context it was tried it struck me –naturally—as ‘different’ but the quality is evident. My first PS did not disappoint me (I own a bottle of the 99 but I’m keeping it for a duel against the 00 to be provided by Choche and MA). 92+

Agustí Torelló Rosé

Not being fond of Rosé Cava, I had this as a palate cleanser in between Priorats and was pleasantly surprised. 83-84

Agustí Torelló Barrica

By far one of the most reliable producers in Spain (not just in regularity, he also prints disgorgement dates) Torelló the man was behind the table and poured this barrel-fermented version for us. We also had opportunity to retry it at one of the meals (Saturday lunch, methinks). Decidedly fuller-bodied than the average cava, this is an apt match for heavier dishes (turbot comes to mind). With fresh apple notes in the nose, the oak/body is noticeable but not obtrusive. 87+

Altos de Lanzaga 2001

Wow, this was a surprise, though not because I expect less than the best from Telmo’s top wines. I had tried the regular Lanzaga and it was a good Crianza-styled modern Rioja. This is something far more serious: openly modern-Riojan but also showing off the spicy warmth in an otherwise fruit-forward style. Structured and long. A wine to keep an eye on. 91++

Alvear PX Reserva 1998

If you have followed my praise for the 1998 PX of Alvear’s young vintage sticky (the one that got 95 Parker points for the 2000 vintage) you’ll now see what I meant. They made a Reserva version from the 98 and here it is now. A vintage PX from Montilla that’s ridiculously sweet, superbly balanced, extremely unctuous and long, retailing for about $20 (about to hit the shelves in weeks). 91-93

Amontillado Viejísimo

Hidalgo Poured by Javier Hidalgo. Much as I like the PX sweetness I must take off my hat to this beauty. Very dry in a way that’s just short of admirable-but-at-a-distance, extremely complex, so nutty, so deep, soooo long. It was a real privilege to be able to retaste this wine. For a moment I wondered who all those noisy people were, I wanted to be left alone with this wine. 93++

Palo Cortado Viejísimo Hidalgo

This has undeniable resemblance to the Amontillado in the nose, but the palate is more aggressively woody. So complex, again, but above all, so old. A wine to taste with respect, and certainly one to suffer in that room. 90

Oloroso Viejísimo Hidalgo

Amazing again, this was another beauty (I own a bottle and I was delighted with the tasting sample). Nutty nose but certainly plusher than the other two, giving the impression of pillowy warmth and roundness. I have waited on the bottle for three years, now who knows… 91+

Ánima Negra 2001

Poured by Miquel Ángel. Callet and C-S. It has all the tarry, mineral character of previous vintages, but—much like the 2000—the fruit is better-focused, more forward, and overall plusher in the mouth even at this early stage, with a flowery touch now usually found only in modern Rioja and Bierzo. Awfully original like no other Spanish wine, the 2000 is more polished now but this is another promising vintage for these guys in the Balearic island of Mallorca. 90-91

Ánima Negra Fogoneu 2003 (*) Barrel sample at 3m

Wow, they don’t even know whether to release a varietal Fogoneu bottling or not. If you ask me…DO IT (at a reasonable price, please!). This is truly a remarkable wine after only three months in barrel. It could become a real object of desire in a few years (due not only to rarity but out of sheer quality). It has much of the soil quality of the AN with that old-style unfocused fruit. 90+ (?)

Artadi Grandes Añadas 1998

You should have seen my face when I realised that the vintage was not 2001 but a totally unexpected and far more accessible 1998! This was even an unfair contender, and a great marketing decision on the part of Artadi. As Cirsion 2001 was elected Wine of the Year they refused to play the 2001 game and brought a maturing 1998. Well, let me tell you something… Thank You! Boy was this gorgeous! Very fine mineral nose, excellent fruit of perfect ripeness with just enough oak to be perceived as needing 2-4 years before climaxing out of the charts. Superb integration already for my infanticidal taste, and extraordinary length. 94-96

Barbadillo Saca de Invierno

I liked the Spring saca much better, to tell the truth. This was as good and typically fresher than most, but it was not the venue to discern nuances in younger sherry. 86

Barbadillo Amontillado Príncipe

Very impressive and amazing QPR. Awfuly deep nose with nutty character and good solera notes of very old wine, great complexity and good round palate. An excellent middle-aged palate that I can swallow comfortably. 88-89 (+)

Barbadillo PX La Cilla

A middle weight that’s considerably fresher than most PX in the thicker style, this was very pleasant and—while not unforgettable—certainly a great QPR candidate to consider for future buys. 87

Barón de Chirel 1999

This was totally out of place among the Mediterranean bunch (Saturday morning) and the austerity of the style was doubly penalized here: the oak was far too present and its integration is expected no sooner than 2007+. True, it becomes a really interesting Rioja with some age, but right now I didn’t know what to do with it. 88-90

Böllinger Grande Année 1996

One of our contributions to the Saturday night sobaquillo. Since my friends kindly allowed me to do the (consensuated) picking, I opted for truly bold wines that could impress our palates even after such a glorious Saturday, so the wines we contributed were real gems in raw state: this was amazing and exactly the sort of thing that could wake you up with just a sip. Oddly enough it was immensely pleasurable already; I mean we didn’t write “Enormous promise” but rather a semi proper note. Of course, give this 6 years and then ask me to try it again… Very powerful nose of raw champagne, with apple, flower petals, berry, and dough, and a still slightly disjointed palate, upfront carbonic, and a very long finish. This is the sort of stuff you’d decant if home alone. Drunk from Spiegelau Authentis Bordeaux glass (which somehow makes for interestingly long pours…) 93+++

Möet Brut Vintage 1998

The 1998 vintage was being officially presented at the event, so house reps were present and took every care to ensure proper service. Raw blanc de blancs nose with everything there but a certain lack of finesse. May reasonably improve with bottle age. We sampled this at the tasting and enjoyed full glasses to open Saturday dinner. Nowhere near poor, but the company was truly galactic and the Möets resented it. 87-88

Möet Rosé Vintage 1998

The 96 is a beauty according to those who’ve tried it. This 98 didn’t impress me, but I acknowledge that Rosé champagne is a typical victim of multi-raw-red tastings. I had it with its brother at the opening of the tasting, though. My notes read “A tad too light and fairly animal in the nose at this moment.” It isn’t exactly cheap, so for that price I’d rather shoot for Billecart. 86

Pierre Moncuit NV Brut

A solid midprice champagne with more to say in the QPR game than shooting for true greatness, this was a very pleasant opening for the rice meal at the Albufera on that sunny Sunday. Medium weight and nowhere near as complex as the Larmandier-Bernier that followed, but classic NV profile and excellent for our purpose and its ambitions. 86-87

Cillar de Silos Crianza 1999

Yep, we were crazy enough to have this at the train cafeteria on our way to Valencia on Friday afternoon. We produced our own stemware and MariaAngeles (aka ‘Packet’) opened a mystery bag with this bottle and three superb baguettes with Ibérico ham.
The wine is a good midprice Ribera crianza now more mature than I’d want for a standing-room-only situation on a train, but the polished palate matched beautifully the Ibérico character. 85-86

Cims de Porrera 2000

At the Cims table there was a guy whose face resembled the Pérez family beyond any possible coincidence. Most likely a son of José Luis. Cims de Porrera now has merely 50% of Cariñena in the blend, but it still shows well above the rest of the coupage (most likely a good injection of Bordelais blend for structure?). The 2000 Cims was going through a very shyish moment, sort of clumsy, with good Cariñena character, mineral and sweetish, but I’m sure this underperformed. 90

Cims de Porrera 2001

This one was a totally different story. Much better focused fruit, sweetish leathery nose of Cariñena touched with mineral and balsamic warmth, smoky French oak, equally robust palate, and longer finish. 92+

Cirsion 2001 Magnum

Undoubtedly one of the superstars of the event, I must confess I had my doubts as to the availability of this wine. I was humbled to silence at the sight of no less than six magnums and no shy pours. Relatively closed at the beginning, with impressive modern Rioja purity: flowery but highly mineral with graphite notes (pencil chewing). Excellent ripeness but not overdone at all. After an hour (I managed to put a glass away) it was fuller in the palate, mouthcoating, very long with only slightly drying tannin incapable of ruining this glorious infanticide (the wine merely spends 8 months in oak). Wait 4-6 years for the truly galactic experience. 94++

Clos Manyetes 2001

Poured by René Barbier Jr, this was more open and attractive at this moment than the Mogador. So much so that I marked this for a future buy. “Black! Closed-toasty à la Mogador but far more approachable. Sweetish nose sooooo mineral and deep, very drinkable in the palate. Reminds me of the Clos Figueres 2001.” 93+

Clos Mogador 2001

Suffered comparatively. Impossibly closed (just opened and decanted, and going FAST). It’s easy nonetheless to perceive an amazing (hidden) fruit under the core of toasty and mineral complexity wanting integration very badly. For the long future or prolonged decanting. Even more so than the 2000 at this stage. 93+ as of now

Clos Nelin 2002

Mogador white. I loved several bottle of the 2001 consumed last summer after 4 hours of aeration. Poured from the bottle, all my TN says about the 2002 is “Aniseed”. Not a clue on what to rate this one.

Contino El Olivo 2001

Good heavens! This was another little Riojan beauty with such a gorgeous nose. The fact is that I had a bottle of the 99 in Xmas and though the nose was truly superb the palate was still pretty tough, so I feared the 2001 would be very much the same. Not at all. This was perfectly enjoyable in both nose and palate, with all the flowery nuances of modern Rioja against the backdrop of classical spiciness and excellent body. Smoky oak notes just add to the whole. It was by far the meanest pour I got in the entire weekend (though not from Chus himself, I must say) but it certainly left me wanting to try a full bottle. To begin with I’ll buy the 2001 Crianza while I wait for the release of the “El Olivo”. 92+

Contino ‘Graciano’ 2000

One of the very rare varietal Gracianos (and certainly the first, the label dating back to 1994, IIRC). The color is as purplish as any 2001 Tempranillo around, but the nose still needs to develop a good deal. Smoky oak and great body, with marginally drying finish; the palate is yet unformed, needing a good 3-4 years before the Graciano shows its stuff. Right now it’s perceived as a good Rioja but the distinctiveness will come with time. 89 (+)

Cristiari Merlot 2002

This was part of the (rather chaotic) Friday sobaquillo. There is good varietal fruit in this one but as for the texture my impression was that it was missing some extra oak or at least another six months in bottle. Weird comment, I know. 87+

Dr. Loosen Auslese WS 2002

This one I had already drunk home alone but sure it was a pleasure to retry. I suppose it was Thurston, our latest Riesling convert (a convert with a vengeance, as most Riesling converts are) who brought it to the Saturday sobaquillo. Textbook apple-and-slate nose with good weight in the palate, beautifully balanced at auslese level. 90-91

Muscadet ...de S.et M. … sur lie Domaine de L’Ecu Expression de Gneiss 2002 (Bossard)

Poured during Sunday lunch, this came after the champagnes and showed hermetic reticence in the nose. Good balance—fairly lean in the mouth with excellent acidity—in spite of the almost totally muted nose. By the time it opened there was a good hint of mineral potential but it was a pity to have it somewhat wasted in the event. I think I will wait before I open my Orthogneiss… 88?

Dominio de Tares Cepas Viejas 2001 Magnum

This is one I ignored during the tasting (so affordable and such a must-buy that I didn’t want to bother my palate with another wine) but Mags turned up at Saturday lunch anyway. I gave it a tentative rating of 89 and no formal note due to the somewhat too high temperature of the dining room (and the impossibility of chilling the mags in the crowded ice bucket). Will certainly retry anyway.

Dominio de Tares Bembibre 2002

After the superb—if somewhat overtly toasty—Bembibre 2001, this producer’s “P3” was the object of desire and interest of most of the participants. Much as it stood up to the expectations (see note below) the real gem for me was surprisingly the 2002 vintage of Bembibre. So fine and elegant, exquisitely scented with flowery notes and mineral echoes, with such restrained though sweetish red berries, less toasty than the 2001…When I asked the owner whether this was one of those “weak vintage, strict selection, moderate oak” successes he merely “smiled the question away” but I wrote BUY next to this wine. 93+

Dominio de Tares “P3” 2001

Not an inch less impressive than expected, this was certainly thicker and more dramatic than the charming Bembibre 2002. Toastier it sure was, but superbly balanced, full bodied, almost chewy, with notes of Bierzo elegance (petals, wet earth and warm stone) but also other “more robust” connotations (milk chocolate). Very deep and long. Must retry in peace. 93+

Dom Perignon 1993 Jeroboam

Since Möet reps were present during the Saturday tasting, and since the Saturday was opened with bottles of the 1998 vintage Brut and Rosé, one of the original founders of Verema produced a Jeroboam of this. It was possibly undergoing a difficult moment between youth and maturity, but I didn’t enjoy this half as much as I had anticipated. A bottle of the 95 no long ago proved amazingly better—if too primary of course—and I assume this 1993 (especially in this format) had not yet reached the complexity and serenity of proper age. Anyway, we were most surprised and grateful for this rare treat. 91

Don P. X. 1975

As I’ve said before…grab all the 72s you can. This 75 is a pretty decent PX and a good QPR, but I was spoilt beyond remedy growing up under the spell of the magnificent 1972. This one’s fresher than most, with good acidity, but lacks the decadent unctuousness and sweetness of the 1972. 86-87

Finca Dofí 2001

Pretty accessible vs the tougher Mogador, this is another elegant Dofí to add to Palacios’s impressive streak of great vintages. Great warm, sweetish fruit (heavy with Garnacha) in the profound nose, with mineral hints all over, excellent weight in the mouth and superb persistence.
Ever the Dofí hunter, I enjoyed this a great deal at the tasting (in the now customary 93/93+ rating that I seem to have carved for all the Dofís I’ve tried) and as we were leaving for lunch I asked the guy for a second pour so that I could carry a glass upstairs and enjoy it calmly with the meal. And so I did, at least until Raul swapped my glass for Idus de Vall Llach and even claimed that “the fruit is now more forward”. I could have killed him when he told me but he’s taller…and younger ;^)

Idus 2001

This is a new middle range bottling between Embruix and Vall-Llach. Solid effort around 90 points, somewhat rustic in its resemblance to Embruix, and somewhat disappointing for its price. 89-90

Larmandier-Bernier (Vertus)

This appeared at Sunday lunch and proved a fascinating—if austere—bottle of champagne. I had one at home (OK, I opened it last Friday…) so I found the tasting opportunity most interesting. Being one of the few Terry Theise’s small producers that can be easily obtained in Spain, this had all my attention from the first moment. Apparently it’s a non-dosé brut—which accounts for the austerity. Call it intellectual if you wish, it certainly isn’t the sort of thing for New Year’s Eve or Grand Prix winners, but that’s perfectly o.k. with me (now that I’ve moved to La Mancha I don’t even have a car ;^)). Very promising mineral nose, high on bubbles—too young—and that austerity with high acidity that managed to cut beautifully though the mellow oiliness of the shrimp risotto (“Arroz Caldoso” for God’s sake, we were in the heart of the Albufera!)… As for numbers possibly 88-89 with room for improvement.

(to be continued on Part II)