We're officially into winter, and just as we did exactly a year ago this very week, our palates long for the varied and inviting drops that emerge from the sun-kissed vineyards and very best talents in Spain! Perhaps some part of us knew we'd be in that mindset, as over the past few weeks, we've been building up the Spanish shelves with options that encompass both notable value and deep fruit-forward charm and texture, all too fitting for the more frosty days ahead.
Join us this Saturday (6th June) between 12 and 2pm, as we kick off our tasting with an intriguing sparkling brut from the Penedès region in Catalonia, Gramona's 'Aliances', dominated by the Xarello grape, which always pushes bright racy acid and citric structure. From there, we open two fan-favourite whites with the latest vintages of Conde Valdemar's Rioja Blanco (Virua-led, with touches of Malavasia and Sauvignon Blanc) and Astobiza's Txakoli - both delightfully smooth and blessed with white floral aromas and maritime salinity.
The reds follow suit with Garnachas from Familia Torres and Viticola Mentridana, a Tempranillo/Monastrell blend from Bodega Enguera, Bobal (the third most planted grape in the country) from Bodegas Ponce, and naturally a choice from the great Vega Sicilia in their powerful Macan Clasico Rioja.
We're very eager to see how these all look after some solid decanting through the morning and lined up next to each other. Hope to see you, and splash your glass with Spanish charm!
Gramona La Cuvee Aliances Corpinnat Sparkling 2021 -
$62 on special this week ($69 RRP)
// 81% Xarello, 12% Macabeo, 7% Parellada
"The 2021 Extra Brut La Cuvée Aliances is 63% Xarello, 32% Macabeu and 5% Parellada from Corpinnat, Penedès. It was aged a minimum of 24 months on the lees (the bottle tasted had 34 months). Subtle tertiary aromas, pastry notes, lime, mandarin zest and grated apple open in the glass. The mousse is fine and lively, with an ethereal, dry palate that lingers with gentle autolytic complexity. A true expression of Corpinnat with a refined finish." - 92 Points, Joaquín Hidalgo, Vinous
Conde Valdemar Rioja Blanco 2023-
$22 on special this week ($25 RRP)
// 64% Viura, 21% Malvasía, 15% Sauvignon Blanc
"For 124 years, five generations of the Bujanda family have produced some of the finest wines from Rioja. This wine presents a captivating pale yellow colour with greenish highlights. Clean and bright. It offers an intense and refreshing aroma, dominated by white fruit, especially pear, followed by stone fruits and citrus touches, complemented by soft nuances of aromatic herbs and white flower. On the palate, it stands out for its tasty entry, loaded with fresh fruit and a smooth texture, culminating in a persistent aftertaste and perfectly balanced acidity. A balanced and delightfully fresh experience." - Negociants, Importer
Astobiza Txakoli 2024 -
$34 on special this week ($39 RRP)
"Txakoli is a great summer white, light in body and perfect for pairing with fish or seafood. It's usually a coastal wine, often with a slight spritz. This incarnation comes from further inland, near Rioja – it's fuller bodied than some, and doesn't have a spritz. It's still utterly delicious though, with a brisk, marine aroma, softening on the palate slightly to give juicy green apple flavours. Fresh and vibrant, drink it in its youth." - 92 Points, Amy Wislocki, Decanter
Familia Torres Sangre de Toro 2023 -
$19 on special this week ($22 RRP)
// Blend of Garnacha Tinta (Grenache) and Cariñena
"Since the first harvest in 1954, we have carefully selected the vineyards to produce a wine that is now legendary and of inimitable personality. Dark cherry colour. Delicious aroma of red fruits (strawberries) with a spicy note (black pepper). On the palate, it is warm, firm, with fine acidity. Meat paellas and semi-cured cheeses pair very well." - Winemaker Notes
Bodega Enguera 'Megala' Blend 2022 -
$34 on special this week ($39 RRP)
// 60% Tempranillo, 20% Monastrell and 20% Marselan (organic)
"This Monastrell-Tempranillo blend will evolve beautifully over an evening if you give it time to unfurl. Red currant, and cherry cola aromas waft from the glass along with hints of mint leaf, sagebrush and dried red cherry flakes. The palate is soulful with concentration that is buttressed by youthful tannins that soften with more exposure to air." - 92 Points, Reggie Solomon, WineEnthusiast.com
Viticola Mentridana 'El Mentridano' Garnacha 2022 -
$43 on special this week ($49 RRP)
"Vitícola Mentridana is located in the Sierra de Gredos, a rugged, high-altitude region southwest of Madrid known for its granitic soils and ideal microclimate for Garnacha. This wine is from a 7.8 hectare vineyard plot in Valle del Alberche, in the village of Méntrida. The vineyard is home to 40-year-old bush-vine Garnacha planted on granite soils; it’s full of holm oak and chestnut trees and sits at 600 metres above sea level. Grapes are hand harvested. Whole clusters undergo natural yeast fermentation in open-top oak vats with gentle extraction. The wine is then aged for 7 months in used 3,000 and 3,700-litre French oak foudres. An intense, high-altitude Garnacha, it has notes of dark cherry, wild strawberry and a thyme like herbal note on the finish. It’s structured and serious but sweet-fruited and hugely drinkable." - Importer Notes
Ponce Pino Bobal 2019 -
$55 on special this week ($62 RRP)
"It fermented in 4,500-liter oak vats but matured in 600-liter barrels. This is completely unusual, and possibly unique given the conditions of the year, which might never happen again. This is the only vintage of Pino with this profile. 2019 was a very warm year, and they picked the grapes very early—it's picked with Clos Lojen, one of the earliest vineyards. So, they picked the grapes before the rain, and the grapes were pressed quite quickly, produced with very short macerations, resulting in a lighter but very mineral wine. I find it very elegant and delicious, and the soil comes through quite transparently—the chalkiness of the limestone is in the texture." - 96 Points, Luis Gutiérrez, Robert Parker Wine Advocate
Bodegas Vega Sicilia Macan Clasico Rioja 2020 -
$115 on special this week ($130 RRP)
"Macán Clásico is a wine deeply rooted in its terroir, in the Rioja Sonserrana region, nestled in the foothills of the Cantabrian Mountains, where centuries of winemaking tradition, knowledge, and culture have flourished. It expresses the freshness, fruitiness, vibrancy, and delicacy of the land, adding depth and complexity. Macán Clásico grapes come from plots with calcareous soils and a clay-sand profile. 2020 was a more generous, rainy, balanced, and fluid vintage. The harvest was difficult due to Covid, but in the vineyard, we enjoyed the fruitiness of the grapes and more elegant skins. It was a year where we were able to push the extraction a bit more, and during aging, we gave more weight to the oak, especially American oak, to add more density to the wine." - Winemaker Notes
"The 2020 Macán Clásico was cropped from a more generous crop. The grapes were put in a cold chamber for one night and then underwent a cold soak of three to four days, after which they inoculated the yeasts—in 2020, 25% of it was their native yeast. It fermented in stainless steel, and the élevage was 45% in new French and 5% new American oak barrels, 28% in second use barrel and 22% in stainless steel for one year. This is one of the most elegant vintages of this bottling so far. It has showy aromatics with notes of smoky bacon, a bit meaty, and the thing that surprised me the most was the velvety texture." - 94 Points, Luis Gutiérrez, Robert Parker Wine Advocate
If you wish to purchase any of these wines, please use the links above
Otherwise, if you have any questions, please contact us on (07)32521117 or email sales@thewineemporium.com.au
// Special prices valid until Thursday the 11th of June