Wow... hot town, summer in the city.... I enjoyed the last red wines before the sun arrived this week with no mercy...

- Torroxal Tinto 2004. Bodega Viñas do Torroxal. DO Rias Baixas (9 EUR)
Second bottle of this vintage before the summer arriving. Due to my experience with the first bottle I decided to decant it. Just an hour, but it needed more. It's better next day.
Serious and straight wine. Nice and focused acidity and tannins. Nice with a dish of beans with romescu sauce and sausage. Good QPR.

- Domaine de l’Ecu Expression d’Orthogneiss 2004 Sur lie. AOC Muscadet Sevre et Maine (9.5 EUR)
Whoever doesn't feel comfortable with high acidity wines won't like this one.
An unexpected touch of hazelnut peelings, enormous acidity, lime? grapefruit? It's a sort of texture acidity. You don't feel the acidity in your tongue, you feel your tongue into the acidity in fact.
It's been a good pairing with duck rillets and a margelet chees. The wine cleans the fat of the rilletes and the creamy texture of the cheese. I've enjoyed this wine, therefore it's good QPR.

- Manzanilla San León Reserva de la Familia. Herederos de Argüeso. SA. DO Jeréz y Manzanilla-Sanlucar de Barrameda (9.55 EUR)
L7M151
It's a golden hue with some touchs of green olive. At a glance it looks different from the usual light coloured manzanillas. The smell and taste gives you the real nature of this manzanilla. Nuts, sea hints, touch of bitterness, oxidative? Long, long, long, sip. Absolutetly great manzanilla! Needless to say how good is its QPR!

- Finca Antigüa Syrah 2005. Bodega Martinez Bujanda. DO La Mancha (5,67 EUR)
Intensive oak and herbaceous hints with a touch of vanilla. Too much alcohol. Disappointing. At third day it improves a bit. It's less agressive and joins to the concert the touch of plums jam. I don't like it.

- Petit Caus Rosado 2007. Bodega Can Rafols des Caus. DO Penedés (5.75 EUR)
Red fruits and watermelon over hints of strawberry lolly-pop and some other candies. It's ok, but a bit short. So-so QPR.

- Conde de Valdemar Fermentado en Barrica 2005. Bodegas Valdemar. DOC Rioja (6.89 EUR)
A summer after the first bottle of this vintage. Golden hue, apricots, church after a mass, light hints of medicins and a touch of acidity. Soft quaff, nonetheless it moves vividly when paired with food. This time thistles sautée with pinenuts and ham, cream and egg poché. QPR Ok.

- Gran Feudo Rosado. Bodegas Chivite. DO Navarra (3,06 EUR)
Bottomlow. Any of you that ever drank this wine in any vintage pre-2006 will miss the vividness of this wine. I've to admit that it's still a nice rosé, but this lack of acidity and vividness that began last vintage makes this wine be that: Bottomlow. Anyway I still consider this wine a nice rosé, with a very good QPR.

- Doña Beatriz Verdejo. Bodegas Cerrosol. DO Rueda (4,06 EUR)
It shows as verdejo. Grass, fennel-bulb/anis-seed, a touch of maracuya and a hint of bitterness when sipped. Nevertheless... well... how can I explain it? Do you remember Sylvester Stallone in the film 'Victory'? Yep, that where he plays as a football goalkeeper. Well, this verdejo moves as Stallone playing football. Do you know what I mean? It's ok, good verdejo and good QPR, 'buuuut'.

Cheers,

Jose

Wish I had some free time to translate into English some of my TN’s, unfortunately the migration of the web is driving me crazy ;-)

Cheers!

how can you find any free minute with all the issues you've in your hands... 8-o

Cheers,

Jose

Fun and useful info as always Jose! ... I thought for some weird reason that you did not like the "Domaine de l’Ecu Expression d’Orthogneiss 2004 Sur lie" so I have avoided buying it (I often like the Muscadet Sevre et Maine wines, and I have no clue what I thought that this particular one was not so good). Also, the Torroxal white was a real pleasant surprise! (the red one was also pleasant, but the white was a big surprise) nice price and nice wine (which is almost impossible to report about "gallegos" wines, to me the most expensive (low) RQP in Spain along with Priorat (but I agree that both have superb wines ... only superbly expensive too!)

MaJesus

The one that I don't like is Domaine de L'Ecu Cuvée Finement Boisée, i.e., the oaky one #-/
This Orthogneiss is really nice.
I've got the white Torroxal in my 'to-do' list ;) Despite I do agree with you relating QPR on white wines from Galicia I don't fully agree. I mean, they use to be overpriced but very far of the prices we can find in Priorat and some other regions like Ribera del Duero, Toro...

Cheers,

Jose