Some good stuff, some disappointing and some last bottles...

- Muga Rosado 2007. Bodegas Muga. DOC Rioja (4,84 EUR)
Like the bass in that song you like, that's the way this wine sway in any lunch/dinner. No trace of noise, but a wonderful balance during the whole lunch, making no pay attention to any disturbing hint. Spicy touchs, nice acidity... A very good sip with a good QPR.

- Colet Grand Cuvée. Bodega Josep Colet. DO Penedes (aprox. 8.5)
I never have enough of this wine. Vivid and with a good balance with the differents hints of apple, hazelnut and bread. Good QPR.

- El Castro de Valtuille Joven 2006. Bodegas y Viñedos Castro Ventosa. DO Bierzo (5,58 EUR)
Second bottle of this vintage to confirm my first opinion about this wine. IMHO it's a very good sample of what a mencia wine should be. No masks in it. As first bottle, hints of smoke, firmness under a herbaceous layer.

- Palacio de Bornos. Bodegas de Crianza de Castilla La Vieja. DO Rueda (4,96 EUR)
Nice verdejo, with herbaceous hints, maracuya, touch of sweat and fennel-bulb at the end. Good QPR.

- Marcel Lapierre 2005. Morgon Appellation Contrôlée. (13.5 EUR)
Reductive smell at the beginning, but when it disappears the wine really shine!. It's like a strawberries pie. Red fruits wrapped under a hard cover (minerality?), with a spicy hint and mediterranean bushes. It's a brillant wine. Great QPR.

- Clos Dominic Vinyes Altes 2002. Celler Francisco Castillo. DO Priorat (35-40 EUR)
Very far of the wine that was in my mind and that I was expecting when I uncorked the bottle.
Hints of glue, bitter chocolate, black olives, black figs and really strong waves of balsamics. Unfortunately these aromas are under layers and more layers of roasted oak. I've been doing a sort of follow-up of the wine during almost 6 days, crossing my fingers and waiting for the wine inside this bottle, but it never happened. I have no idea whether this wine will positevely evolve or not, but at this very moment it doesn't have a good QPR.

- Luberri 2007. Bodega Luberri Monje Amestoy. DOC Rioja. (4,73 EUR)
Finally a MC proud of being! Garnet hue with purple rim. Slight touch of strawberry chewing-gum and aromas of red fruits out of season. A hint of bitterness as the last touch of the sip. Good example of MC and good QPR.

- Yugo Airén 2007. Bodega Cristo de la Vega. DO La Mancha (2.10 EUR)
Airén is a kind of grape with a reputation of not showing many things. Neither aromas nor savory. I grabbed a bottle in the wineshop to close a six-package-bugdget-wines, so time to drink a wine made of airén.
Almost transparent in the glass, and a sort of smell to... nothing. A bit more when sipped. Very slight hints of apple, sleeping flowers and a touch of bitterness that gives a pinch of nice humming at the end. No more. Well... not much expected for this price. Anyway, it makes me think that if I were in a blind tasting most probably I'd said it's a sort of a soft godello, something like Montenovo or Valdesil.

- Martivilli 2007. Bodega Angel Lorenzo Cachazo. DO Rueda (5,12 EUR)
Another nice example of verdejo. Herbaceous hints, anis-seed/fennel bulb, fresh and light touch of sweat. Good and light quaff (let's pay attention to the abv). To drink more and with good QPR.

- Pago del Vicario Petit Verdot Rosado 2006. Pago del Vicario S.L. VT Castilla (5,77 EUR)
I've read a lot of this wine and how good rosé it's. So I was ready for a disappointing. Yep, when everybody say how good is something my eyebrow begins to move up.
Open the bottle and I like what I see in the glass. It doesn't look like the usual spanish rosés, neither it looks like that newcomers rosés that looks darker than the common red wines. It looks like a claret. This wine attacks with firmness and when you think that you'll find a wave of organoleptic hints it goes invisible... and suddenly appears again with the fruit, nice acidity and dry back. I've enjoyed this wine, despite my prejudices! Good QPR.

- G.D. Vajra. Langhe Denominazione D’Origine Controllata Nebbiolo. 2004 (14.95 EUR)
Licquorized cherries, prunes, black olives, leather... Quite vivid quaff, acidity and strong tannins. It's been nicely paired with meat at BBQ. I've really enjoyed this wine, then good QPR.

Regards,

Jose

So the wines from saturday are for next month? oh, yes it was june already.

I was drinking yesterday Luberri, lovely MC. So nice to drink such a wine. I also drank this month Castro de Valtuille Joven. It was nice, but to alcoholic for me. I think a mencia from the north should have more acidity and less alcohol, and maybe a shorter maceration, I found it to over-exctacted. But at least, not over-oaked, so I guess I'll drink more of this.

in the 'new' web... It is moving, isn't it???

I've realized that the number of characters allowed into the comment fields has been increased, so I don't have to split the monthly report in two posts :))

Cheers,

Jose

I took as a matter of fact that you would write a great post for the blog 8-D

Did you find too much alcohol in Castro del Valtuille? Hmmm... I didn't notice it. Well, it's about...14? so it's a big level of alcohol, nonetheless I drink it cooler than the usual for a red wine. Neither I do find overextracted, I do admit a dark hue, but I don't find overextracted. Nonetheless I don't have a wide vision of mencia, you know, so I should drink some others to get a better point of view. Anyway I think that it's a good mencia example without the f?ck*ng-good-for-nothing-oak make-up ;^) Aaaand at last I do agree with you and I would appreciate an extra point of acidity.
On the other hand I've pending to drink again a bottle of Gaba do Xil. Next time I'll decant it, trying to go forward the green character I found first time.

Cheers,

Jose

Iñaki was taking pics, and he published all on his blog. But I will write something about that night on the sarmiento blog when reporting the riesling tasting, because a Cos d'Estournel, deserves it.

I had Gaba do Xil again last week, and the second day was nicer, very floral. I really like that one.

needed a decanting. After an hour into the glass it was beginning to sing... this way it's too dificult to me having a proper picture of this wine.

Regards,

Jose