Le Caveau - Spain & Portugal Wine Tasting - 9/24/11

Le Caveau - Spain & Portugal Wine Tasting - 9/24/11
--
1) 2010 Bodegas Pedro Escudero ‘Fuente Milano’ Rueda DO $10.99
50% Viura, 50% Verdejo
This wine has a light, bright yellow color with melon, grapefruit, and with faint herbal note on the nose. There is intense citrus fruit on the palate with nice weight, crisp acidity and a fresh finish.
The Escudero family and patriarch Pedro in particular are recognized as being some of the very best grape growers in all of Rueda, and own “Fuente Elvira” a vineyard planted with 32 hectares of Verdejo and 2 hectares of 80 year old vine Viura. The vineyard contains gravel and sand over a red clay sub-soil. They farm all of their plots with organic practices.

2) 2009 Bodegas Abanico ‘Tempestad’ Godello Valdeorras DO $18.99
100% Godello
This wine has a medium golden color, and an intense nose of ripe peach, pear tart and tropical fruit. The palate is concentrated with rich stone fruit and a gorgeous texture/mouthfeel balanced by lively acidity.
The winery was founded in 1964 and has vineyards in 4 different villages of Valdeorras with slate, granite and alluvial soils. Godello possesses the capacity to age well like chardonnay in Burgundy and Riesling in Germany.

3) 2008 Monte da Ravasqueira ‘Fonte da Serrana’ Alentejo $14.99
Mostly Aragonez (Tempranillo) and Trincadeira with Alicante Bouschet and Cabernet Sauvignon
With a deep garnet hue, this wine shows smoky dried fruit, anise and raspberry fruit aromas. The wine shows rich red fruit on the palate with prominent acidity, soft tannins and an earthy finish.
Monte da Ravasqueira is based in the Alentejo region, in south-central Portugal. In addition to wine, they are involved in the production of cork, olive oil and honey, as well as breeding Lusitanian horses.

4) 2007 Bodegas Neo ‘Neo Sentido’ Ribera del Duero DO $24.99
100% Tempranillo
This wine has a dark ruby color and has ripe black cherry with hints of earth and licorice. On the palate is sports dark, ripe, concentrated fruit with round tannins, velvety texture and a lengthy finish.
Produced from leased, old vine (60 year old vines with growing conditions managed by the winery) fruit and fruit from young estate vines. Aged in new, one and two year old, 60% French and 40% American oak for 8 months, it is bottled without fining or filtration

5) 2004 Bodegas Valduero 'Valduero' Reserva Ribera del Duero DO $34.99
100% Tempranillo
Dark garnet colored, it shows black cherry, leather, herbs, and espresso. The palate echoes with rich dark fruit with firm structure, but is easy to drink on not at all heavy. This wine is very complex with balancing acidity and a nice mineral-driven finish.
The 2004 Valduero Reserva spent 30 months in French and American oak and then another 18 months in bottle before release. The Reserva is only produced in the best vintages.