Heredad Collection wines from Spain
Edited by Darryl Beeson
The Ferrer family's goal is to deliver wines from Spain's
most prestigious appellations. These include wines from both coastal and inland
regions across northern and central Spain, specifically from the established and
rising-star Denominations of Origin (DO) of Ribera del Duero, Montsant, Priorat,
Rías Baixas and Penedès.
Ribera del Duero continues to produce some of the best red
wines in Spain. Exceptional are a trio of 100% Tempranillo wines from Bodegas
Valdubón. The prices offer great value for the quality in the bottles.
The Valdubón Cosecha 2005 ($14) has a powerful but rounded
taste profile, bursting with bright fruit. One of the driest years in the
region's memory, combined with its short time of four months in French and
American oak, the Valdubón Cosecha is forward and highly aromatic wine with
plums, allspice, vanilla and coconut. The range and depth of this wine make for
a good pairing with tangy barbeque ribs or a hearty bean soup with diced winter
vegetables.
Valdubón Crianza 2003 ($18) is loaded with copious amounts
of ripe and dried fruits and a delightful nuance of vanilla and cocoa. In spite
of the heat (2003 was one of Spain's warmest growing seasons in over 60 years),
the vines evolved extremely well and matured beautifully thanks to the region's
cool nights, producing a complex wine with soft and silky tannins. Aged for 14
months in oak barrels (34% American and 66% French) and about 8 months in the
bottle before release, this wine is ready to drink but will continue improving
over the next several years.
Rounding out the estate's offerings is the Valdubón Reserva
2002 ($24). Aged for 20 months in a mix of 66% American oak and 34% French oak
and a minimum 16 months in the bottle, this lush wine is chock-full of spices
and youthful berries, and the lively and soft mouthfeel wraps itself around
savory flavors such as lamb. This complex wine is a textbook example of the "terroir"
of Ribera del Duero.
A relatively new DO, the rugged and rocky Montsant region
southwest of Barcelona is garnering attention for producing outstanding wine
with accessible price tags. Its reds can often rival those of neighboring, and
very pricy, Priorat. Its rosé wines are award-winning. The Fra Guerau Rosé 2006
($12), an intensely pink wine, has developed nicely despite the lack of rainfall
during the growing season. It is a blend of Merlot, Garnacha and Syrah. Fra
Guerau Rosé offers a balanced palate of strawberries, or maybe raspberries and
can be enjoyed with anything from a cheeseburger right off the grill to a
chili-laced Southeast Asian dish.
One of Spain's two Denominaciones de Origen Calificada (or
DOC regions) which subject wines to the nation's most rigorous standards is the
remote and tiny appellation of Priorat. Highly-acclaimed wines continue to
originate in small quantities from within its arid, mountainous confines. Two
thousand three was a year of extremes. Overall it was extremely hot, but harvest
time brought relief with the cooler, breezy weather bestowing a truly superior
crop. Morlanda Criança 2003 ($48) is a compelling expression of the terroir of
the region. Made entirely of hand-harvested estate grapes, this is an intense,
powerful wine with cherry and dark fruit flavors. The nose is characterized by
tones of plums, blackberries and roasted coffee with a hint of licorice and
balsamic. Big food flavor pairings are suggested, such as pepper steak or wild
game.
The prize grape of the cool and verdant Rías Baixas (ree-us
Bash-us) region is the Albariño. The grapes harvested for the Vionta Albariño
2006 ($18) are from estate grapes. For freshness, the wine was cold-fermented in
stainless steel, with 10% of the wine left in contact with the lees to enhance
structure, complexity and mouthfeel. Vionta maintains a crisp, fruit-forward
flavor characterized by ripe pear and bright citrus notes. This super
food-friendly white wine is a natural match for seafood. Serve Vionta Albariño
with a chilled avocado and jumbo lump crab soup or with richer dishes such as
Thai curry, steamed clams or, maybe, wild Pacific salmon in clam broth with
parsley and garlic.
While known primarily for its fine cavas, the Penedès
continues to gain reputation as a source for premium still wines. The
drought-influenced 2005 season saw wines with full ripeness and serious
structure. The Segura Viudas winery has produced a beautifully balanced Creu de
Lavit 2005 ($15), a white wine made entirely of Xarel-lo grapes, specifically
three base wines which underwent different production processes: 20% percent of
the grapes were destemmed, cold macerated and fermented in stainless steel;
another 45% of the pressed juice was fermented in stainless steel for three
months; and the remaining 35% was lightly pressed and aged sur lees for five
months in new American and French oak. The bouquet has notes of pineapple, ripe
pear and floral, following a crisp entry. Creu de Lavit is one of the few
single-varietal bottlings of Xarel-lo (sha-Rey-yo), a grape historically used in
the blending of Spain's tasty cavas (sparkling wines).
Rains in April and May of 2002 allowed for good bud burst,
playing a large role in the vineyard success of Mas d'Aranyó Reserva 2002 ($15).
Also from Segura Viudas, this tasty Tempranillo from Penedès has bright notes of
ripe red fruit and spice followed by a long finish with hints of minerals and
licorice. This wine can be served with an array of dishes such as tapas, grilled
vegetables or rosemary pork tenderloin.
The estates of the Heredad Collection are owned and
operated by the Ferrer family of Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, near Barcelona, Spain and
form part of the Freixenet Group, which is among the ten largest wine companies
in the world.
The global portfolio of the Freixenet Group is comprised of
fine still and sparkling wine estates in Spain, France, Australia, Mexico,
Argentina and California. For more information about these new vintages or other
wines in Freixenet's Heredad Collection, please connect with
www.heredadcollection.com. To learn more about Spanish wines in general,
visit www.winesfromspainusa.com.
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Darryl Beeson travels the world looking for great food,
wine, spirits and the unique destinations that provide such. He is American
editor of www.wineontheweb.com
and teaches for The International Sommelier Guild at
www.internationalsommelier.com. |