Rioja: Three Views of a Secret
1.
It was one of those perfect late-summer evenings in Manhattan, when one can finally wear a sports jacket happily, without sweating up a storm. I met Josie at the shiny new Time-Warner Center Towers. We had to answer an important call.
Our dear Professor John Gilman had sent the invitation just a few days before and I knew, from the moment I opened it, that the agenda had to be cleared to accommodate what was going down. The event was one I simply had to attend.
Of course, there was the matter of a visit from my parents on that same day, which had threatened to keep me from doing my duty and joining the Professor... But the gods conspired to clear that out of my way. Hurricane Jeanne prevented the senior Camblors from leaving the Dominican Republic that day. So, I was free to do as I pleased.
And do I did. We were at the Time-Warner Center for a tasting of fine old Rioja going back to 1934.
“Swanky,” said Josie as we were allowed into the residential section of the Center. Lots of high-gloss materials and the crisp aroma of moneyed air. “I think this is where Ricky Martin has his pad,” added Josie, ever the Latina entertainment journalist. For a second there, I became very alert, on the off-chance that I may catch a fleeting glance of the former Menudo lead singer. And then I remembered that I hate Ricky Martin...
The event was to take place in the apartment of Drs. Nezih Cereb and Soo-Yung Yang. The gracious couple had set up for us a comfortable tasting space with fantastic views of Manhattan. Creative tapas would be provided by Chef Harold Moore to accompany the wines.
In the apartment’s foyer, by way of an apéritif, we are presented with a glass of 2002 Dönnhof, Norheimer Dellchen Riesling Spätlese, Nahe. Very shy of aromas. You have to work hard on the swirling of the glass to find out that it’s a light, graceful, fruit-forward little Riesling with nice acidity. Leaning a bit much toward the facile side of the spectrum, though. Medium finish with moderate sweetness.
I take my place at table, alongside Josie, Gerry Dawes, Josh Raynolds and the Professor. The Riojas start to occur in pairs.
Our first two are from Bodegas Riojanas. The 1998 Monte Real, Reserva, Riojaseems a bit reticent, at least for the first five minutes. Then it opens up with beautiful raspberry fruit, earth and violets. Very nicely textured and still quite primary. The 1998 Viña Albina, Reserva, Rioja is friendly from the start, with beautiful, lush red-berry fruit that prompts Josh to proclaim it a “sexy thing.” In the mouth, fruit and oak are ziplessly, gorgeously melded. It’s a fabulous drink now, this, but a decade of cellaring should make it even better. Curiously enough, at this junction, the Monte Real is more claret-like than the Albina, though it’s the Albina that has a reputation for being Bordeauxesque.
One wine shows up stag at our table, breaking the pattern of couples we were told to expect. It’s the 1996 Marqués de Cáceres, “Gaudium” Reserva, Rioja one of those high-octane New-Wave concoctions that’s supposed to knock one off one’s feet with whacks of new oak and finish one off by drowning in fruit jam. Well, this doesn’t disappoint... Horribly oaky, with a pong not unlike that of Bourbon barrels. Some decent Tempranillo fruit may be buried under the avalanche of new oak, but its cries are too faint to keep my attention for long. Drying wood tannins and alcoholic heat take hold and midpalate and end this wholly unpleasant experience rather swiftly.
Getting back to real wine (as opposed to overcarpentered, clueless concoctions), we face a 1987 La Rioja Alta, “904” Gran Reserva, Rioja. I’ve never been a great fan of Riojas from the 1987 vintage... I chalk it up to something in many wines that I call “too much Moon, not enough Saturn.” Those wines are usually sweet, ripe, easygoing little creatures that lack the structure and depth to stimulate me intellectually.
This “904” is a nice one, though... Extremely aromatic; a lifted, complex and graceful nose of dried roses, lavender, orange peel, cranberry and dried raspberry with cinnamon overtones. Light and juicy in the mouth, deceptively straightforward at first, but then showing layers of fruit and earth on a long finish.
The other wine in this flight is the 1985 R. López de Heredia, “Viña Tondonia” Gran Reserva, Rioja, which is as tightly wound as in the last six recent instances in which I’ve had to taste it. A baby, but an extremely characterful one. Shy nose. Densely packed aromas and flavors of plum, spices, iodine, earth and leather. A powerful wine full of gorgeous stuff that needs plenty of time to loosen up and fan out.
The next flight begins with a 1981 CVNE, “Imperial” Gran Reserva, Rioja from a magnum courtesy of Gerry Dawes. The nose is fabulous, a real showstopper. A heady perfume of truffles, roses, blackberries, dark chocolate, hot clay and bay leaves... It’s so amazing I can’t stop sniffing it and I keep finding more and more nuances with each passing instant. In the mouth, the same phenomenal beauty: Lush, silky, olivey, with plenty of detail and immense complexity. The aftertaste seems endless.
Next up is a 1981 La Rioja Alta, “904” Gran Reserva, Rioja which, though very good, seems like a letdown after the magnificent Imperial. Chocolatey and fruit-driven, still; very fresh and sprightly. A nice, easygoing Rioja that bears the house’s signature beautifully. It’s great to taste this one after the ’87. One begins to notice how the “904 style” manifests itself regardless of vintage quality. It’s all about lightness, grace and a playful lilt to the perfume. Perfumed berry fruit in the mouth with a sweet, chocolate-malt-tinged finish. Alas, there is far more structure and precision in the mouth here than in the ’87.
I set aside the glass with the Imperial for later perusal when the next flight appears. The first wine in the pair is a 1973 Marqués de Riscal Reserva, Rioja: Funky at first, then very cedary, with lifted aromas of red plum and cherry, plus a touch of violets. This is fairly straightforward in the mouth, with quite a bit of Cabernet character, but nevertheless lacking in complexity and length. It is quickly followed by a 1973 La Rioja Alta, “890” Gran Reserva, Rioja which has a very provocative perfume of malted chocolate, fine cigars (with their cedar box kindly thrown in for good measure), leather, cloves, black cherries, blackberries and plums. In the mouth it’s surprisingly wiry andserious about its elegance. Very long, with a delicious acidic tang on the finish.
The folowing flight begins with a 1976 R. López de Heredia, “Viña Bosconia” Gran Reserva, Rioja which, as far as the initial whiff is concerned, is a dinner on its own right. It smells strongly of split-pea soup with lots of bacon. When this blows over there’s plum, cherry and blackberry laced with balsamic notes, thyme, cedar and a surprising iron vibe. This is a very nice bottle. In the mouth the wine is powerful and assertive, but also supple and complex. The other wine in the couple seems a bit overwhelmed by its companion. It’s a 1970 La Rioja Alta, “890” Gran Reserva, Rioja. 1970 was a strange year for a lot of Rioja producers. Some managed to make beautiful, well-structured, fleshy wines (López de heredia’s “Viña Tondonia”, Murrieta’s “Castillo de Ygay” and CVNE’s “Imperial” come readily to mind) while others came up with duds. Though it’s not particularly transcendental, this “890” leans more toward the first tan the second category. It’s light, with aromas of violets, tobacco, cured ham and some very nice red frit. In the mouth it’s direct and perhaps lacks complexity. But it has that refreshing 890 acidity and the finish does muster length and a few layers of interesting flavors.
Wines from the year of my birth are always difficult for me to assess. There’s that old sentimental component of tasting something as old as one is. But there’s also the very weighty consideration of the worldwide crappiness of 1968 as a vintage. Of course, there were a few exceptions and I have found some very good to excelent wines (Vega Sicilia “Único”, López de Heredia “Viña Bosconia” and a Beaulieu’s “Georges de Latour Private Rserve, for example). But the key word here is “few”.
Our sixth flight is made up of two 1968 Riojas. The first is the 1968 Marqués de Riscal Reserva, Rioja, which immediately strikes me as quite fragile. Sure, there’s some decent Cabernet character to the nose—a certain reediness, along with a hint of blackcurrant—and some nice great notes of cedar and plum. But the wine seems tired. In the mouth it lacks liveliness and seems rather hollow at midpalate. I remember the magnificent Riscal wines fo the ‘30s and ‘40s (wines that are at the peak of perfection right now) and wonder about this one... Next up is the 1968 La Rioja Alta, “904” Gran Reserva, Rioja, which also seems qite faded at age 36. The chocolatey “904” style is certainly there and there is some pleasant, plummy fruit touched off with accents of cedar and clay. But this one hasn’t the play in it.
Our last flight of the evening starts with the 1959 La Roja Alta, “890” Gran Reserva, Rioja, which won’t hear a word about “old age”. The distinctive “890” signature is there, cedary, chocolatey, tobaccoish and red-berried, with hints of bay leaves, caramel and cured meats. Smooth in the mouth—just seamless. A suave, gentlemanly Rioja with fantastic structure. Long, lively and layered, with the typical and very refreshing “890” acidity tying things together at the end.
This is followed by a 1952 Bodegas Riojanas, “Viña Albina” Reserva, Rioja which, for its mid-range classification (i.e. it’s not “Gran Reserva”) surprises us all by its sheer “oomph!” There’s an initial whiff of fresh garlic on the nose that disappears immediately, then chocolate, caramel, clay, rosemary and hints of black fruits. Lush and silky mouthfeel, with amazing concentration of fresh, sweet plum flavors. No small feat, for a Reserva to be this vibrant after 52 years. But this one more than manages it. Great length and detail. Very, very nice.
Our last bottles of the evening let us down. Bad storage somewhere along its lifetime has madeirized the 1934 Marqués de Murrieta, “Castillo de Ygay” Gran Reserva, Rioja, a wine that I have tasted in the past four years and remember as very vibrant and alive. In the bottles we had before us, wonderful substance was discernible, but “rancio” aromas just kill it. Professor Gilman seems heartbroken about this. Both Gerry and myself promise to look for some more of this in our respective treks to Rioja, because we know it’s great wine and it should be tasted from well-kept bottles.
Of course, that whole hearbreak thing is relative. W did have a lot of great wine and a truly educational experience...
2.
This is about the night on which I finally met Joe Perry.
Joe is from Boston.
Joe is not the famous lead guitarist from Aerosmith, as I had hoped he would be.
Joe is also quite a young man. I didn’t expect that.
For months we had been exchanging e-mails and sharing impressions. We are both lovers of fine Rioja made in the traditional way. Such Riojas, Joe has often reminded me, aren’t the usual bill of fare for the Boston wine-geek community. For some time now, Joe has felt painfully deprived and believes only hanging out with the New York wino contingent will remedy his plight. You see, we have access... Our win merchants know what’s what and they keep us in all sorts of fine older vintages of López de Heredia, Muga, CVNE, Murrieta et al.
Joe came to visit us in Manhattan on the weekend of the Yankees-Red Sox play-offs. I was pleasantly surprised to verify that this was a man after my own heart. Baseball was very far from his mind. He wanted to drink Rioja.
To that end, I gathered a few New York wine personalities, internet or otherwise, at my apartment. There was Jay Miller. There were Chris Coad and the lovely Miss Lisa Allen. There was our very own SFJoe. There was the great don Geraldo Dawes, perhaps the man to talk to when it comes to Spanish food and wine, whose solemn duty was to enlighten us and disabuse us of any misconceptions about the wines to be drunk that evening. A pretty fair and balanced crowd, really...
Anyway, Mr. Coad has already posted a wonderful chronicle of this event which one can easily access at
I do believe this is an accurate recollection of what went down, people and foodwise (the simple menu I devised for the evening involved “montaditos” of bean-and-bonito salad, my champiñones al Palo Cortado, plus pig and roasted potatoes with piquillo pepper sauce). Chris’ diligence in posting all those details leaves me free to discuss the wines imbibed.
Young Joe had, some weeks before this event, posted something on several internet fora that I found very daring. He had come up with his own “Ranking of Rioja”. Needless to say, this posting had caused immense controversy. Part of my mission, on his visit to Manhattan, was to flesh out some ideas he presented and try to dispel others. Did I succeed? I don’t know. But we did drink some very good stuff.
What we drank:
2003 Txomin Etxoniz, Getariako Txakolina: Nose of citrus and golden apples with briny, grassy and green-olive aspects. It reminds me of the 2003 Muscadets, but without their utter weirdness... Straightforward and lemony in the mouth. A simple, refreshing quaffer.
2003 Ameztoi, Getariako Txakolina: A hint of fizz to this. Light, a bit hollow and boring. It’s fresh and lemony, with faint salty hints, but who cares?
2001 Remelluri, Blanco, Rioja: This is made by the fine folks at Remelluri from a blend of about seven seemingly disparate white grape varieties, which makes it the “Caymus Conundrum of Rioja”. The Conundrum comparison doesn’t end with the freaky blend... It’s also laced with lavish amounts of vanilla. Nondescript barrel-fermented b.s. is what I call it. Slightly oxidative, to boot. (I keep the remainder of the bottle for four days after the dinner; the wine deteriorates very quickly without acquiring any redeeming features).
1985 R. López de Heredia, “Viña Tondonia” Blanco Reserva, Rioja: White Tondonias are an acquired taste. I see a few skeptics about its aromatic profile in our group, but the bottle is drained fairly quickly, which reassures me. A brighter, livelier lemon-gold color than the Remelluri, this really sings... The usual oxidative notes, plus some woodiness left to integrate, but layers and layers of citrus, minerals and spice are discernible. It’s still very tight and probably needs another fifteen years in bottle.
1993 R. López de Heredia, “Viña Tondonia” Rosado, Rioja: A very nice showing for this wine. Coppery onion-skin color, glimmering. Earthy, spicy, citrusy and brightly fruited, with a hint of bay leaf and racy acidity. It’s a wine I never get tired of drinking.
1990 Nikolaihof, Riesling “Vinothek”, Wachau, Austria: It spends thirteen years in Füder and it’s Joe Dougherty’s fabulous idea of what one should bring to a Rioja tasting. An amazing wine that evolves in the glass for hours. It starts out showing subtle fruit and mineral elements, then opens up and gets quite dramatic. Deep, elegant and exquisitely detailed. A magnificent wine.
1996 Contino, Reserva, Rioja: Which was supposed to open a horizontal of wines from this bodega, the avatar of “modern” Rioja. But it turned out corked, so we moved on qickly.
1996 Contino, Gran Reserva, Rioja: Some notes by David Rosengarten and Gerry Dawes had led me to expect a rather alcoholic clunker in this wine, but it turned out to be surprisingly fresh and light on its feet. Well-made, with nice red fruit and a silky texture. There is quite a bit of new wood noticeable, but I have no doubt it will integrate over the next decade or so.
1996 Contino, “Viña del Olivo” Reserva, Rioja: Jesús Madrazo, the young winemaker at Contino, was the pioneer of single-vineyard “modern” Rioja. The ’96 Olivo was, I believe, the second or third vintage bottled under this label. The wine is rather reticent and wears its new oak too blatantly for my taste. It’s not saying much right now. Concentrated and oaky, with notes of soy and earth, this needs time, though I’m truly not sure what it will turn into.
1996 Marqués de Riscal, Gran Reserva, Rioja: Light, herbal, fruity and very drinkable, with a touch of Cabernetty blueberriness. I beleive it would run one about $40 in some stores, which isn’t a particularly good deal.
1982 Bodegas Faustino Martínez, “Faustino I” Gran Reserva, Rioja: Flat, weedy and boring. The kind of dud that gave Rioja a bad name during the ‘70s and ‘80s.
1981 Muga, “Prado Enea” Gran Reserva, Rioja: Form the “library selection”recently re-released by the bodega and imported to the US by Jorge Ordóñez, this bottle doesn’t resemble ’81 Prado Enea from the original release. That was a lovely, full, well-structured wine with plenty of aging potential. This one, by contrast, is reedy and quite lacking. Not my first such bottle from this new lot, either.
1978 Muga, “Prado Enea” Gran Reserva, Rioja: What a difference! Silky, elegant and satisfying, with a layered, chocolatey finish. A maturing Prado Enea “como debe ser”.
1976 CVNE, “Viña Real” Gran Reserva, Rioja: Not a good showing for this wine, which has been outstanding on other occasions. Rather hollow and focusless.
1973 Bodegas Riojanas, “Monte Real” Gran Reserva, Rioja: A first bottle of this was painfully corked. I had to run to the cellar for a second, which was truly fine. Suave, earthy and floral, with a beautiful texture and vibrant acidity. I think it’s at its best now.
1970 CVNE, “Imperial” Gran Reserva, Rioja: As always, beautiful. Probably the best 1970 Rioja of all for sheer deliciousness and impeccable elegance (López de Heredia’s “Viña Tondonia” comes in a close second, though). Beautiful blackberry and black cherry flavors accented by chocolate, leather, earth and spices. Perfect texture. Great length.
2001 Bodegas Maur, Crianza, Tudela del Duero: I opened this in the spirit of fun, when the group was sufficiently drunk. A correct Mauro Crianza, fruity and with a refreshingly restrained wood treatment (in great contrast to so many other wines by Mariano García). Of course, the restraint doesn’t mean that there’s no new wood there. There’s quite a bit and it needs a few years to integrate.
1998 Capafons-Ossó, “Mas de Masos,” Priorat: I bought this on closeout at Garnet. Thought it would be interesting to present it to the group as an exponent of that “other great Spanish wine region” that is threatening the “reign’ of Rioja. Well, I think Jay Miller described it best when he called it “big purple stuff”. Dull and clunky with wood and alcohol. No detail. No interest.
Bottlewise, it was not the luckiest of nights, what with all the TCA and a few duds. But it was tremendous fun. And we got to torture a new guy with a full-fledged jeebus (nobody expects a jeebus). From Boston, no less...
3.
What was to go down at Alcalá (newest incarnation of what was the wonderful Basque restaurant near the United Nations that we formerly knew as Marichu) was one of those strictly-themed wine dinners Brad Kane loves to put together. All wines of one kind, no exceptions, etc.
Normally, firm regulations tend to incite me toward mischief, but this time around, Bradley’s theme seemed to me right as rain and unmessable-with. “Old Rioja”, the man said. And I, for once in a great many years, didn’t try to throw any curve balls or indulge in Byzantine funkiness. I mean, what can one possibly do to subvert a beautiful theme like “Old Rioja”?
So it was that I found myself at Alcalá, joining Brad, Steve Plotnicki, Professor John Gilman, Gerry Dawes, the inimitable Dr. K., Jay Miller and a new friend, David Wainwright. Though the restaurant had changed names, the waitstaff was the same and the menu still contained some familiar dishes from the heyday of former chef Teresa Barrenechea. We let Gerry do the choosing and an array of very nice tapas began to appear shortly.
Our first wine was definitely not a Rioja, but I wasn’t one to complain... The 1986 Nikolaihof, “Im Weingebirge” Riesling Spätlese Trocken. Wachau. Austria omes in one of those preposterously long bottles of which cellaring nightmares are made. A sweet, sappy nose, with lots of fleshy fruit (white peach, pear) and attractive floral nuances that fall somewhere between gardenia and ilang-ilang. Lovely and layered on the palate, with assertive acidity on a tight finish that reveals some delicious mineral depth.
There seemed to be no other whites on the table, so we proceeded to taste something coming from a bottle wrapped in tinfoil. Gerry hadsaid that he wanted our opinion on this wine... A simplistic, lactic, woody, monolithically-redfrited blob with very little charm or, for that matter, structure. I remembered the profile clearly from previous tastings and remembered the discussions said tastings had prompted, so I ventured that it must be the 1994 Pesquera, “Janus” Reserva, Ribera del Duero. Turns out I was right. And, frankly, it was a roadblock on the way to our evening’s theme that I could have done without.
A bottle of 1998 Bodegas Riojanas, “Monte Real” Reserva, Rioja began circulating. The wine was exactly the same as on all the other occasions about which I have reported, so no sense rehashing those notes. It’s enough to say that this delicious, well-structured wine is an extraordinary value at about $16.
Next up we finally started with some older Riojas. The 1981 Contino, Reserva, Rioja made a stellar showing and reminded me that ’81 was a wonderful vintage indeed, no matter what the big-name critics say. ’81 was the sixth commercial vintage for Contino. The bodega’s original idea was to modernize traditional Rioja while maintaining elegance and regional character. Under then winemaker Basilio Izquierdo, they managed this mission well enough and the results speak for themselves. The wine starts out tight, with its fruit appearing as a compact, shy entity. There are some nice violetish harmonics on an ethereal finish, but the first impression isn’t much, really. Luckily, I set a glass of this aside and revisited it throughout the evening. The wine opened out gorgeously over a couple of hours, revealing aromas of tobacco, bitter chocolate, blackberry, plum, tea, bay leaves and sand. A very elegant drop with quite a few years ahead of it.
A 1978 R. López de Heredia, “Viña Tondonia” Gran Reserva, Rioja verged on being too volatile, with its aromas of cedar, orange-peel, plum and clay marred by an acetonish cast. In the mouth it was rather muted. Not a good bottle.
Alas, I had given up on whites too early. There was a 1976 R. López de Heredia, “Viña Tondonia” Blanco Gran Reserva, Rioja, another old friend about which I’ve reported countless times. This bottle had the usual mild oxidative notes, followed by fine wood aromas, plus white chocolate, quince, dried rosemary and lemon zest. Very focused in the mouth, with vibrant acidity, a lovely mineral streak and a long, complex finish wit hints of bread pudding, plus some charming savory notes. Very nice.
If it is possible, the 1978 Muga, “Prado Enea” Gran Reserva, Rioja on our table showed better than the one I had at the dinner in honor of Joe Perry. Another fabulous showing! A brooding, muscular wine, intriguingly complex. It felt a lot younger than the one I had tasted only a couple of weeks before. Aromas of baking spices, maple, bay leaves, orange confit, earth, plum and cherries. Vibrant, lively stuff on the palate, with a long and wide finish that speaks in beautiful 5:1 Surround of the wine’s breed.
A year before this dinner, on a visit to Barcelona, I was first exposed to the 1973 La Rioja Alta, “Centenario 1890-1990” Reserva, Rioja. The wine impressed me very much then and I was very happy to try it again now. A bold, sexy, warm beauty with aromas and flavors of cranberry, cassis, cinnamon, cedar, loam and tobacco. Lush and velvety mouthfeel. Very, very long and complex finish. A truly delicious wine.
The 1970 R. López de Heredia, “Viña Tondonia” Gran reserva, Rioja that I had brought to the proceedings along with the ’81 Contino behaved very well, in my opinion. A smooth, elegant, chocolatey, clayey, dried-leafy tondonia with plenty of healthy fruit. Balanced, long and quite detailed. I’m almost inclined to call it “my favorite Tondonia of the ‘70s”.
A bottle of 1970 Marqués de Murrieta, “Castillo de Ygay” Gran Reserva, Rioja turned out, regrettably, to be corked. Hate it when that happens, especially since this can be a very lovely Ygay...
Anyway, back to the good ones; or not... A 1970 La Rioja Alta, “890” Gran Reserva, Rioja was very much itself on the first whiff—chocolate, cedar, leather, plum—but with some airing began to show a disturbing mustiness that had red flags going up al over the table. Drinkable, but not a good bottle.
Next came a bottle bearing one of the gaudy labels of Bodegas Faustino Martínez, which, in my world, offer as much reassurance as the sight of vultures over the highway. The wine was a 1964 Bodegas Faustino Martínez, “Faustino I” Gran Reserva, Rioja and it was all about one thing: Decay—fleshless, structureless, horrid decay... The deadest wine I’ve had in a long while, it put me, for a moment, in a very dark mood.
Luckily, good wine came to the rescue, quickly: 1954 CVNE, “Viña Real” Gran Reserva, Rioja. In fact, I should say “magnificent wine,” not just “good.” This wine always manages to impress me, making me think that it will probably outlive me by a few decades. Fantastically perfumed, bold, elegant... Adjectives fail me in the presence of this mighty Viña Real, so loaded with aromas of black plum raspberry, leather, balsamics, flint, tobacco... Deeply complex, lively and fabulous.
Now, one wouldthink that ’54 Viña Real, at any table, would be a pretty hard act to follow. But thanks to the generosity of Steve P. we had an amazing piece of history in front of us, a 1920 R. López de Heredia, Rioja in a Burgundy-shaped bottle (María José and Mercedes López de Heredia have since confirmed for me that this was, in fact, a “Viña Bosconia” from a time when the wine didn’t bear that name on the label, but could be distinguished solely by the bottle’s shape). Just the chance to sample this, even if it had been dead, would have been a propeller of conversation for months to come. But the wine would surprise—even shock—some of us...
Aromas of really good Parmigiano Reggiano, smoke, dried mushrooms, espresso, underbrush and beautifully lively black fruit. Big and bold on the palate, with a plush mouthfeel; one’s tongue just feels the depth. Mouthwatering acidity and tannins that, though near full resolution, have a reassuring firmness to them. Very long and layered, with the acidity ringing some interesting apple notes. A hint of black tea atthe very end. A fantastic, fully alive wine that probably has another fifty years ahead of it. It makes me think of what the amazing 1947 Bosconia will be like in another quarter-century, when it reaches this ‘20s age.
Whelmed by this magnificent Bosconia, I paid little attention to the one dessert offering on the table. It was the 1990 Huet, “Le Haut Lieu”, Moelleux, Vouvray. Too young a wine to enjoy right now. Tightly wound and showing only aromas of peach, strawberry and apricot that seem rather primary. Racy minerality on a long finish, but this was the infanticide of what would have been a great bottle in thirty years.
A pair of wines like the 1954 Viña Real and the 1920 Bosconia are enough to make a grown man cry. Tears of joy, of course... But I cannot forget the other moments of honest glory I witnessed over these weeks. That marvelous 1981 Imperial and the “lowly” 1952 Viña Albina Reserva, which so got to me by the strong spring in its step... The delicious ’78 Prado Enea, the ’73 Monte Real Gran Reserva... The ’81 Contino, the ’73 “Centenario” from La Rioja Alta... I’m torn between wanting to let people know how great these old Riojas can be and the selfish impulse to just shut up, keep it all a secret and ensure there’s more of them for me to buy at very attractive prices. In the end, I write. It’s all I can do to pay tribute to truly great wine.
Many thanks to the good folks who organized (or, in the case of the dinner I put together, who so kindly assisted) these evenings. And to those who provided the wines that made them truly extraordinary, all I can say is I hope I can reciprocate. Soon.
