Locked up tight upon poring into the glass, but slowly notes of espresso coffee and mocha start to eek their way out. Then its a rush of fruit: cherries, a little blackcurrant, raspberry and plum. Then its the full deal: earthy herbs, a little cola, woody spice and pencil shavings. In the mouth there are those great Roda tannins, lush and full, with a balance of sweet and savoury fruit with pleasing acidity. It’s quite juicy too, which I like.  I have a few hesitations in rating this higher then the 04, I think the 04 has it by just a whisker right now. But still, this is excellent booze. Drink from 2012 to 2021. 93+ Pts

Source: The Spanish Acquisition RRP: $85 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.roda.es

Pineapple and spice on the nose, with a touch of passion fruit and lemon after some vigorous swirling. Light texture and good balance bring a pleasing mouth feel, zingy acid on the finish. More of the same on the palate, a herbal note adds a bit of complexity. Good glugging with my rip off of the Cos heart and anchovies from Bar Lourinha…87 Pts.

I often wish that there were more wines from Ribera del Duero available in Australia. Relatively cheap and good wines from this region are rare. This one is a case in point. While it’s a good wine, and in the scheme of things it’s reasonably priced when compared to similar wines from the region, you could get something just as impressive from other regions in Spain for about half the price. And there is some of that horrible weed, Cabernet in there as well. While it’s traditional for the region, I’m not a fan of adding Bordeaux varieties with Spanish ones. Obviously there are exceptions to this rule, but they are rare.

Wild, brambly fruit on the nose with plenty of volume and depth. It’s an aromatic puppy, wood and spice, herbs and liqorice, a touch of green capsicum and pencil shavings. Medium to full bodied in the mouth with some lump tannins that should smooth out in time. The balance is good and the length moderate. Plums, cherries and spice on the palate, with a sprinkle of gamey, animal notes and herbs. I tucked into a midweek steak with this, and it worked like a charm. 90+ Pts.

Source: Broadway Liquor Distributors Price: $50 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.cruzdealba.es

As this was a fairly hastily organised lunch session, I jotted down a few notes on the wines after lunch as an after thought. But as there has been some interest, I thought I’d write them up.

2002 - This was a clear winner from the word go. The nose was full of aromatics: violets and field herbs, bright red cherry, a touch of plum and a little blueberry. Savory and earthy on the palate.  Superb balance and integration, as well as some finely textured tannins make this very pleasurable drinking right now. I’d say that this is drinking at it’s peak, but will hold for a good 5 year or so yet. 94 Pts.

2003 - This was looking a bit blocky and had a darker fruit profile than many other wines in the line up. Otherwise a classic cherry cola, wild herbs, a bit of coffee and chocolate. The tannins are still quite firm, if anything I would say this needs more time in the cellar.  91+ Pts

2004 - Now this was a bit a odd ball. When I opened these bottles, this was the only one with a question on both cork and storage. Initially a bit musty and not giving up much at all. However, we returned to the glass after an hour and a half and it was singing. Very much like the 2002 at this stage, it hints at being a more complete wine when it wakes from a long slumber in 3-4 years. Looking great. 93+ Pts.

2005 - To be honest, this was in a bit of a weird place. Not showing as generous or as complex as the other wines at the moment, we agreed to put this down as a slightly off bottle. NR

2006 - This is more like it. Impetuous youth in all its glory, plenty of lush fruit, with violets and roses, but at the same time super savoury and earthy. I reckon this is going to be a great wine in a couple of years, it has all the boxes ticked so far. 93+ Pts.

The nose is open and inviting, plenty of nice, warm fruit with a bit of vanilla and mocha. Round and a bit fleshy in the mouth, good length on the finish with tangy acid. Savory and moreish. A solid, juicy kind of thing, great for washing down grilled meats. 87 Pts.

I’m amazed that this wine is still $14, given all the movements in currency etc that have gone on over the past year. With exchange rates getting back towards the levels they were at 18 months ago (sitting around .57-.58 Aussie to a Euro), things are looking up and hopefully keeping any large price increases at bay.  Anyway, I had a bit of a revelation with the classic description for Monastrell about a year ago. While eating a plate of ripe figs, I thought:  ‘Hey this tastes like Monastrell’. I think fig and wild gamey notes are the primary flavours in monastrell from these southern regions of Spain.

On the nose, those earthy fig and plum notes dominate as the wine opens up, then some gamey, wild animal notes leading on to some cherry, some herbs  and a wiff of honey. As is usual, its medium bodied with light tannins and a long finish. More of that fig and plum on the palate, some minerals and earthy herbs as well. One of the great things about this wine is the consistency, each year looks very similar and getting a textbook quality wine at this price is rare. 89 Pts.

Now this is not as well formed or structured as your average Verdejo from Rueda, but its a fairly good drink. Notes of lemon and melons on the nose, with a touch of sage and green bean. Plenty of acid and length too. I think it’s s style that really needs food to work,  so I drank this with a fairly simple seafood pasta and it worked a treat. 86 Pts.

The nose opens up with plenty of warm climate Tempranillo notes: earthy plums, a touch of dark cherry, light vanilla and cedar notes and a little chocolate. Medium bodied, with ripe, dusty tannins, it’s rounded and goes down easy. More of the same on the palate and reasonable length on the finish. While it’s not the most complex wine around, there is plenty to like and you can’t argue with the price. 87 Pts.

Source: Ce Soir Imports Price: $14 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.salvadorpoveda.com

Other Vintages: 2003

The nose shows plenty of herbal and grassy notes, with some fennel bulb and cucumber over the top of lemony fruit. Tight and driving in the mouth, it’s fresh and light and easy to drink. More of that lemon and herb fruit on the palate, the acidity keeps things humming along. More of a food style for my money, but definitely a fun, budget alternative to either NZ or French Sauv Blanc. 86 Pts.

I’ve said it in the past, but I’ll say it again: Castro Martin produce  the most appealing and aromatic Albariño around. 2007 as a vintage is a return to the more minerally style, but with the usual Castro nose of white flowers (jasmine and honeysuckle), white peach, lemon rind and a touch of river rocks. A light straw colour, with the trademark Castro Martin nose of white peach, jasmine and honeysuckle with some green lemony goodness. Nicely textured in the mouth, which gives a sense of richness, but on the other side is quite lean and taught thanks to some cleansing acid. Just the thing for flabby shell fish. The palate shows more white peach, lemons, pear and apple, rounded out by some musk stick and minerals. A slight herbal lick on the finish. Excellent stuff, and it handles a bit of chili perfectly. 91 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Cost: $35 Closure: NormaCork

Web: www.bodegascastromartin.com

Other Vintages: 2004 2005 2006

I’d sum this wine up with four words: light, bright, earthy and fruity. It’s not a ‘Sunshine in a bottle’ type of wine by any means, but it has very clean cherry and blueberry fruit that’s striking and the real star here. The palate and nose add a few earthy herbs,  a bit of liquorice and a little violet. Medium bodied with a few soft tannins, it’s a fun drink that works with food or on it’s own. 88 Pts.

This one comes from Felix Solis, who make wine all over Spain. I haven’t tried their Rioja gear before, but this and their joven look great. The website says 50% Garnarcha and 50% Tempranillo with 24 months in American oak,

It smells like some vanilla, mocha espresso abomination you’d get from StarBucks, but its a good thing (to smell anyway), mix in some herby bramble, bright red cherries, earth and blue berries and you’ll get the general idea. The palate is more intense and is driven by it’s acid (again a good thing). A blueberry danish on the palate, but with more air it comes around to show a classic palate of cherry, herbs, minerals, licorice and spice. An outstanding example of the classic crianza from Rioja. 91 Pts.

A good nose that shows a couple unusual but pleasant characters, honey and a nip of pineapple, along with the usual lemon, apple and yeasty bread. Very bubble in the mouth, soft and pliable with a bit of acid to give some backbone. Lemon and lime sherbet on the finish, which is a touch short. Overall it’s a fun drink, and far too easy to quaff. 86 Pts.

Source: Outlandish Imports Price: $18 Closure: Synthetic Cork

A glass of manzanilla and some boquerones (white anchovies) was just the thing much on while I flipped through the wine list. The guys have one of the broadest lists of Spanish wines getting around, lots of different stuff from all over Spain, plus good stuff from Chile, Argentina and Portugal. While that was impressive, the stand out of the day was the new scallop and morcilla dish that’s in the running for the best thing I’ve eaten this year, and that includes a couple of weeks in Spain. Four little stacks of scallop and morcilla with the thinnest pastry envelope of creamy, yogurhty goodness, plus some finely chopped cauliflower sprinkled over the top. All that on a bed of braised cabbage. The piquillo peppers stuffed with salt cod were rock’n too. Definitely worth getting up at 4am to catch the plane for.

The nose is clean and fresh with lemon, slight melon and lime with yeasty, bready notes. A moderate rate of bubble mixed with fine acid give the wine a firm mouthfeel and a tight, integrated palate. More lemons and limes on the palate with some minerally elements and a generous finish. If you like your sparkling wine big and broad, give this a miss, otherwise this is good drinking. 90 Pts.

Source: Outlandish Imports Price: $40 Closure: Synthetic Cork