CWD: '01 Tinto Pesquera

D

drssouth

Stephen South
A note by Ian (a long ways down a different thread) inspired the opening of this..
2001 Tinto Pesquera, Ribera del Duero, bodegas Alejandro Fernandez, alc 13.5%, $26: The wonderful nose I associate with Spanish wines...cigar box, cedar and leather...boy is this drinking well...the fruit is marvelous and it has a zinging acidity that dances on the tongue...it softens as time goes by and gently fades to a sweet ending...really nice...
I have a few of the '96 version of this ($12) and this makes me want to get to one of those soon as well...Thanks Ian...
 
Thanks, Dr. I've known for a while that I am partial to the brassy tang of tempranillo-based wines, but this is the first time I've tried one with some age, and it was an eye-opener. Imposing fruit, acidic freshness, just enough body to make it elegant. Makes me wish I'd bought some Riserva.

Now I will have to rethink my prejudice against wines over 13% abc.
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
Thanks, Dr. I've known for a while that I am partial to the brassy tang of tempranillo-based wines, but this is the first time I've tried one with some age, and it was an eye-opener. Imposing fruit, acidic freshness, just enough body to make it elegant. Makes me wish I'd bought some Riserva.

Now I will have to rethink my prejudice against wines over 13% abc.
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Actually, I don't think the reserva is any better (and maybe not as good)..the one I tried seemed oaky and overripe
 
Pesquera's Reserva and Crianza are exactly the same wine (as often stated by Alejandro Fernndez), with the lone difference being that the Reserva is released a year later.

I find this note, "The wonderful nose I associate with Spanish wines...cigar box, cedar and leather" a bit bemusing. Why should there be a "Spanish nose" made of "cigar box, cedar and leather" in a country with 2.6 million acres under vines, 70 appellations, a ton of climates, mesoclimates, microclimates and terroirs and dozens of red grape varieties?

What would a "French nose" or an "Italian nose" be like?
 
originally posted by VS:

Pesquera's Reserva and Crianza are exactly the same wine (as often stated by Alejandro Fernndez), with the lone difference being that the Reserva is released a year later. I find this note, "The wonderful nose I associate with Spanish wines...cigar box, cedar and leather" a bit bemusing. Why should there be a "Spanish nose" made of "cigar box, cedar and leather" in a country with 2.6 million acres under vines, 70 appellations, a ton of climates, mesoclimates, microclimates and terroirs and dozens of red grape varieties? What would a "French nose" or an "Italian nose" be like?
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Well, there was a famous lip.
 
originally posted by VS:
I find this note, "The wonderful nose I associate with Spanish wines...cigar box, cedar and leather" a bit bemusing. Why should there be a "Spanish nose" made of "cigar box, cedar and leather" in a country with 2.6 million acres under vines, 70 appellations, a ton of climates, mesoclimates, microclimates and terroirs and dozens of red grape varieties?
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Not to mention a gejillion (anyway easily a good dozen) different profiles of Tempranillo alone.
 
You know Victor can be very sensitive about any criticism of things Spanish.
Since the Knicks have become a disaster I'm sure Victor can find nothing positive about NY so you're even.
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
originally posted by VS:

Pesquera's Reserva and Crianza are exactly the same wine (as often stated by Alejandro Fernndez), with the lone difference being that the Reserva is released a year later. I find this note, "The wonderful nose I associate with Spanish wines...cigar box, cedar and leather" a bit bemusing. Why should there be a "Spanish nose" made of "cigar box, cedar and leather" in a country with 2.6 million acres under vines, 70 appellations, a ton of climates, mesoclimates, microclimates and terroirs and dozens of red grape varieties? What would a "French nose" or an "Italian nose" be like?
Click to expand...
Well, there was a famous lip.
Click to expand...

Since the sheep video, static pics are so last year.
 
originally posted by drssouth:
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
Thanks, Dr. I've known for a while that I am partial to the brassy tang of tempranillo-based wines, but this is the first time I've tried one with some age, and it was an eye-opener. Imposing fruit, acidic freshness, just enough body to make it elegant. Makes me wish I'd bought some Riserva.

Now I will have to rethink my prejudice against wines over 13% abc.
Click to expand...

Actually, I don't think the reserva is any better (and maybe not as good)..the one I tried seemed oaky and overripe
Click to expand...

Okay, thanks. The Janus is supposed to be special, but it's out of my league, price-wise. So I'll treasure my remaining 2001 tintos.

Have you tried the Haza?
 
originally posted by VS:
Pesquera's Reserva and Crianza are exactly the same wine (as often stated by Alejandro Fernndez), with the lone difference being that the Reserva is released a year later.

I find this note, "The wonderful nose I associate with Spanish wines...cigar box, cedar and leather" a bit bemusing. Why should there be a "Spanish nose" made of "cigar box, cedar and leather" in a country with 2.6 million acres under vines, 70 appellations, a ton of climates, mesoclimates, microclimates and terroirs and dozens of red grape varieties?

What would a "French nose" or an "Italian nose" be like?
Click to expand...

Point well taken...I guess I should have said "the nose I associate with prior experiences with this particular wine" (albeit from other vintages) ...that is what I had in mind...clearly this is not the nose of Numanthia, Clio, Cims de Poerra, etc in my cellar....I have, however, found this type of impression from some Rioja wines of a similar age..
 
Then, basically, that's a "the nose of a well-aged, tempranillo-based wine". You'll find it essentially in Rioja, Ribera del Duero and (sometimes) Navarra and Toro. Give it five more years, and it will begin to feel like a cross of Burgundy and Chteauneuf-du-Pape. Simplifying a lot, you'll find two other, main families of Spanish noses: The more pungent, also funkier (and mineral when coming from granite or slate soils) Western Spanish reds made with menca or prieto picudo, and the more exotic, flowery, Asian spice-blueberry-and-charcoal noses of the bigger, alcohol-rich Eastern Spanish reds made with garnacha, monastrell or bobal (again, with mineral variations depending on the terroirs).

Plus a ton of gooey varnished new oak, in still too many cases, of course.

Deflation and recession will take care of the latter.
 
originally posted by VS:

Deflation and recession will take care of the latter.
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The reverse of the exchange rate situation that brought the beginnings of sanity to California in the last couple of years. Though obviously with a lot more collateral damage.
 
AFAIK Pesquera has never made a ros wine, Joel. If it's made one now, it's news to me. And obviously no one will know how it ages since this will be their first ros ever. Then again - are you certain that it's a Pesquera label that you've seen - not some other winery from the village of Pesquera de Duero, for instance?
 
hmm...interesting....

check this out (sorry it's small):

96alejandro.jpg
the cuvee is called Finca Alejandro Rosado.....from the Bodegas Alejandro Fernandez, Pesquera. it's being sold online at the japanese website www.grandvin.net/sinf.html (if you click on the spanish flag to the left, you'll find it)
 
It's quite a rarity, indeed! I've just checked it out: it's made by Condado de Haza, which is also owned by Alejandro Fernndez, like Tinto Pesquera. I would very much doubt this is long aged in oak like Tondonia Rosado with the aim to make it age-worthy, so the 1996 might be long gone. But that was a very age-worthy vintage overall, so who knows?
 
Thanks for the information, VS. I wondered if both bodegas were under the same ownership. It looks like the wine is a 50/50 blend of temp. and albillo (the latter of which I know absolutely nothing...except I just now read a description of it being "fairly neutral, but having an interesting glycerol level that brings out a smoothness in blends..."). It's tempting, though as you say, it might be long gone if the elevage isn't like the Tondonia Rosado. Maybe I'll see if I can get more info from the bodegas first....
 
originally posted by VS:
... Why should there be a "Spanish nose" made of "cigar box, cedar and leather" in a country with 2.6 million acres under vines, 70 appellations, a ton of climates, mesoclimates, microclimates and terroirs and dozens of red grape varieties?

What would a "French nose" or an "Italian nose" be like?
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Good point. One should not generalise.

BTW my Spanish wife has a lovely nose.

originally posted by VS:
... and the more exotic, flowery, Asian spice ...
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Gosh that neatly sums up the spices of over 4 billion people from Turkey to Tokyo - not to mention London, Mississauga and Sunnyvale.

What does an Asian Spice smell like? What does it look like?

Just sticking with the C's there are Coriander/Cilantro (fresh or seeds) Cloves, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Caraway, Cayenne, Cumin, Chilli/Chili ...
 
originally posted by Warren Edwardes: Just sticking with the C's there are Coriander/Cilantro (fresh or seeds) Cloves, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Caraway, Cayenne, Cumin, Chilli/Chili ...
Click to expand...

I think if you combine all of those into one blend (preferably available in supermarkets) you get 'Asian Spice'.
 
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