SIP: Shocking Spanish Super-Value Reds (6 Bottles @ $40 OFF)
Figaro Tinto Garnacha 2016
(Calatayud, Spain) - [JD 90]
(Calatayud, Spain) - [JD 90]
Vinification:
Figaro spends just a few months in oak barrels, giving it a nice, spicy flavor boost.
Tasting Notes:
Bright violet. Dark berry and cherry aromas show a jammy aspect. Supple and gently sweet, with good lift to its black raspberry and boysenberry flavors. Smooth and broad on the finish, leaving behind a hint of spiciness. Extremely easy to drink and an excellent value.
Ratings & Reviews
"The 100% Garnacha 2016 Figaro Tinto Calatayud is a smoking value and is another red brought in by Kysela that knocks it out of the park on the value scale. Bright berry fruits, dried herbs, earth, and a touch of spice all flow to a medium-bodied, rounded, fleshy red that has loads of upfront charm and accessibility. It’s not going to make old bones, but as a house red to enjoy over the coming couple of years, it’s hard to beat." - Jeb Dunnuck (3/27/2019)
Wine Enthusiast Magazine:
"Spicy plum and berry aromas are earthy prior to a snappy, slightly shearing palate. Tomato and red fruit flavors hold their energy on a smacking, gritty finish with pop. This Garnacha delivers value and quality. Michael Schachner" - (12/1/2019)
Mas Donis "Barrica" Garnacha-Syrah Old Vines 2013
(Montsant, Spain)
(Montsant, Spain)
About this Winery:
The DO Montsant is one of the youngest DOs in Catalunya but like the neighboring Priorat viticulture here is centuries old. The cooperative of Capçanes is situated in the village of the same name, nestled among the foothills of the Montsant mountains. In the 1990's, the co-op began making kosher wines for the Jewish community in Barcelona, and from this exposure in the capital of Catalunya, the property began to attract a greater level of interest – including that of esteemed importer Eric Solomon.
Tasting through the various tanks and barrels at Capçanes, he created a cuvée of Garnatxa and Syrah that he named Mas Donis – a wine he jokingly said was his "best Côtes-du-Rhône." Despite the similarities in cépage, the granite and schist terroirs here could not be more different than the calcareous soils of the Rhône valley. With time and experimentation – moving from barrel aging to aging entirely in concrete and selecting fruit from some of the oldest Garnatxa in the village, Mas Donis has evolved to show a more Priorat-inspired profile.
Tasting Notes:
Medium ruby with violet shades; very nice Glycerin mouthfeel and texture; wild red and black berry flavors, cherry, spices and herbs; well integrated elegant smooth vanilla oaky toasty notes; ripe mouthful and complex on the palate: loads of sweet vibrant fruit; medium to full-bodied with soft and velvet tannins and nicely refreshing finish.
Ratings & Reviews
"Another baby Priorato, the 2012 Mas Donis, a custom cuvee from Eric Solomon, is composed of 85% Grenache and 15% Syrah aged nine months in both new and used French and American oak. The Grenache comes from 70-year-old vines, and the Syrah from 30-year-old vines. It is difficult to find a better value than this incredibly rich effort. The bouquet offers up a smorgasbord of aromas, including crushed rocks, spring flowers, kirsch liqueur and blacker fruits. Full-bodied with a velvety, voluptuous texture, and admirable opulence, density, purity and texture, it is nearly impossible to believe that something this good could be priced at $12 a bottle. " - (29th Nov 2013)
Burgo Viejo Garnacha Old Vine 2016
(Rioja, Spain) - [VM 90] [JS 90] [JD 90]
(Rioja, Spain) - [VM 90] [JS 90] [JD 90]
This wine is our tribute to the flagship grape variety of Rioja Baja. Garnacha has been grown in Alfaro for many centuries in perfect balance with the local soils and climate which result in our intensely fruity wines, full-bodied and with velvety soft tannins. Deep and brilliant cherry color; red wild berries, violet and subtle spice on the nose; the taste sensation is rich, long, and very smooth.
Ratings & Reviews
"Deep, bright-rimmed ruby. Vibrant red fruits aromas gain urgency with air and pick up an appealing floral quality. Silky and seamless in texture, offering open-knit raspberry and cherry flavors that become spicier on the back half. In a plush, emphatically fruity style, finishing juicy and quite long, with soft tannins framing the exuberant fruit." - Josh Raynolds (February 2019)
90 Points - James Suckling:
"Ripe wild raspberry and cassis fruits that are really brambly and expressive. The palate is all raspberry with smooth tannins and gently tangy appeal. Drink now." - James Suckling (November 2017)
90 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"This estate turned out an outstanding 2016 Old Vine Garnacha, which is 100% varietal brought up all in tank. Classic notes of darker cherries, currants, tobacco, and cedary herbs all flow to a medium-bodied Garnacha that has plenty of fruit and spice, a rounded, layered texture, and tons of charm. It’s a terrific value and should keep nicely for 2-4 years." - Jeb Dunnuck (March 2019)
Bodegas Volver Monastrell "Triga" 2017
(Alicante, Spain) - [WS 92] [WA 90]
(Alicante, Spain) - [WS 92] [WA 90]
About the Winery:
Triga, a project of Bodegas Volver, was founded in 2004 as a joint effort between importer Jorge Ordonez and oenologist Rafael Canizares. (Jorge Ordonez is literally the guy who single-handedly re-introduced Spanish wines to America around 1987. As one of the most influential people in the Spanish wine world, any of his selections are sure to please!) Canizares recently bought out Ordonez and now owns 100% of the project. He makes use of the talents of Aussie superstar winemaker Chris Ringland, who has produced four 100-point wines, as well as two 99-pointers. The winery is located in Alicante near the largest marble quarry in the world!
The grapes come from five vineyards, one of which was planted in 1925. Four vineyards of Monastrell located in the Sierra de Salinas, Umbria and La Sima. The vineyard of Cabernet Sauvignon is in the Sierra de Salinas and was planted in 1981. Altitude 600-750 metres above sea level. Fossilized limey soils with an upper layer of limestones. Planted in low system.
Winemaking:
Using of only native yeasts. Only the oldest vineyards are used for the creation of Triga. The vines are carefully monitored throughout all their stages and processes – pruning, blossoming, fructification, ripening and harvest and only the best parcels are selected. These vineyards have very low production. Each parcel is harvested, produced and aged separately. The best bunches are selected in the vineyard and later sorted on the selection table at the winery. After maceration in vats of 5,000kg they pass to the vertical press.
Tasting Notes:
Opaque purple with explosive aromas of black and blue fruits are transformed into notes of licorice, Indian spices and flower oils. Rich and long, it has a good acidity that lends elegance. In the mouth, sweet blueberries and red currants mark the palate with persistence in a spicy and a concentrated finish. Tobacco, chocolate and herbal flavors ride high on a full, extracted finish.
Ratings & Reviews
92 Points - Wine Spectator:
"This broad, generous red offers inky layers of black cherry reduction, plum paste and Earl Grey tea flavors woven together with espresso, vanilla and rose petal details. Hints of tar, herb and hot stone come along on the finish, with thick tannins. Monastrell and Cabernet Sauvignon. 1,500 cases made, 400 cases imported." - GS (Oct 2021)
90 Points - Wine Advocate:
"The profile of the 2017 Triga is similar to that of its siblings—notes of barbecued meat, fried corn, very ripe and jammy fruit and a lush, decadent mouthfeel with notes of wood and cola nut. It's 16.2% alcohol and is a stereotype of the style. It finishes tannic and astringent. For fans of super ripe, concentrated and oaky reds. It's 85% Monastrell and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, but with the style it has, that's almost irrelevant. 25,000 bottles produced." - Luis Gutierrez (Apr 2022)
Painous Cava Brut NV
(Penedes, Spain)
(Penedes, Spain)
About This Wine:
Pale yellow with green tones. Shiny and clear.
Powerful in the nose, clean. Ageing aromas.
Soft and well structured, long aftertaste and good balance of acidity and sugar contents.
Painous is unique in that it is a Cava-Joven style sparkling wine, meaning, the wine receives the minimum aging of 9 months. This allows crisp, fresh aromas and flavors to be expressed. It is delicious for aperitif.
Wine Making:
Occurs in 3 stages. Macabeo within the first fortnight of September, Xarello during the second fortnight in September and Parellada within the first fortnight of October. First fermentation and vinification: This is a "Methode Traditionnelle" with soft pressing of the grapes to obtain 60% of the must (flower must). It is decanted and fermented with controlled temperatures of 18ºC for 20 days until it fully develops the primary aromas of the grapes. Secondary fermentation: takes place in the bottle for 40 days at a temperature of 16ºC and final ageing for 20 months.Residual sugar: 7 gr. per litre.
Grape Varietals:
40% Parellada, 30% Macabeo, 30% Xarel-lo
Torres "Sangre de Toro" Red DO 2018
(La Mancha, Spain)
(La Mancha, Spain)
During the early 1950s, Miguel Torres Carb, part of the third generation to head Bodegas Torres, tirelessly explored the vineyards in his Renault 44, searching for the regions most prized red grapes Garnacha and Cariena. He wanted to make a different kind of wine that would lend expression to the authentic character of the land.
Today, people around the world see the Sangre de Toro wine as a model of quality Spanish winemaking: a contemporary, elegant and versatile classic that affirms the importance of authenticity and staying true to one's roots.
Tasting Notes:
Dark cherry red color with exquisite red fruit and strawberry aromas with a spicy note of black pepper. Warm and firm on the palate, with delicate acidity.
Technical Information
Grapes: A blend of Mediterranean grape varieties, mainly Garnacha and CariñenaRegion: La Mancha
Vinification Process: After harvest, the grapes undergo skin contact for one week and fermentation in stainless steel for one week under a controlled temperature.
Alcohol Content: 13.50%