After ending the 20th century with a whimper, Spain started the new millennium with a bang of great vintages.
In Rioja and Ribera del Duero, two bellwether wine regions, 2001 and 2004 are being compared with the legendary 1970 vintage. Even the soggy 2002 harvest produced tasty wines at bodegas willing to sell off rain-swollen production to the brandy distillers.
This is good news for wine consumers. Unlike France and Italy, which are raising prices like there’s no tomorrow, Spain has recognized that a modicum of price restraint will win its vastly improved wines lots of new friends.
Most 2001s arriving in retail shops now are reservas or crianzas, which receive oak aging at the winery to smooth out the rough edges. The 2004 and 2005 vintages are so-called joven (young, pronounced HO-ven) wines, which blast out youthful, exuberant fruit in an uncomplicated, grapey style similar to that of a French Beaujolais, but with more stuffing. The reservas sell for $15 to $20, while the joven are in the $10 range.
There’s a lot to be said for both styles. Joven is a classic bistro wine born to be quaffed at picnics, on patios and at tapas bars. Under the favorable conditions of the harvest, the 2004 jovens bloom with extra spicy zest. They are especially good if served slightly chilled.
The reservas and crianzas are an even more intriguing proposition. Modern winemaking in Rioja was started by Bordeaux expatriates fleeing the phylloxera-ravaged vineyards in the 19th century, and the French influence is still very strong. Although the grape varieties are different (tempranillo in Rioja, cabernet sauvignon and merlot in Bordeaux), a good Rioja could be easily confused with a Margaux or Saint-Emilion – except for the price (the Rioja costs half as much).
Ribera del Duero isn’t quite as good a deal as Rioja, but the wines are more robust and often better. Located in the same general area as Rioja on superb soils, the region is the home of the venerable Vega Sicilia, which even the French admit belongs on the same table as Lafite-Rothschild and Le Chambertin. Vega Sicilia is priced for the rich, but other neighboring Ribera del Duero wineries are almost as good and charge a lot less.
The following Spanish wines from Rioja and Ribera del Duero proved their quality in my recent tastings. Also included are the best wines from other intriguing Spanish regions.
Highly recommended
Vina Mayor 1999 Reserva Ribera del Duero ($21): Made from low-yielding, 40-year-old vines, this powerfully built wine is just now coming into its own, seven years after the vintage. Nuanced by 18 months of aging in small oak barrels, the deep, extracted fruit has another five to seven years of improvement ahead of it. The alliance of bold fruit with a robust structure is precisely what makes the wines of Ribera del Duero so special.
Vina Salceda 2002 Rioja ($13-$15): This wine has obviously benefited from this quality-conscious bodega’s ruthless selection of only the best lots in the difficult 2002 harvest. Though not quite as polished as the 2001 reserva, this has almost as much grip, complexity and depth of flavor.
Castillo Labastida 2002 Crianza ($14-$17): This 100 percent tempranillo wine comes from some of the highest-altitude vineyards in Rioja, which leads to lower yields and more focused fruit flavors. With impeccably pure, bright fruit nicely set off with vanilla notes from aging in small American oak barrels, this expressive wine is a perfect match for veal, roast duck and grilled salmon.
Barzagoso 2001 Rioja Crianza ($14): Made from an unusually high percentage of non-tempranillo varieties, this harmonious blend of tempranillo (70 percent), garnacha or grenache (15 percent) and mazuelo (15 percent) is a beauty, with just the right amount of backbone to support the layered, berry-like fruit nuanced by vanilla oak from barrel aging.
Conde de Valdemar 2001 Crianza ($13-$14): Smooth, supple, and pinot noir-like, this mellow crianza is at its peak.
Best under $10
Glorioso (Bodegas Palacio) 2001 Rioja Crianza ($9-$10): Refined and silky, with aromas of vanilla and berries, this testifies to the quality of the 2001 vintage. In an ordinary year, it would merit a reserva label.
Almira 2005 “Los Dos” ($8): Brimming with fresh joven fruit, this Rhone-like blend of garnacha (93 percent) and syrah (7 percent) would embarrass most French Cotes-du-Rhones with the generosity of its lush fruit. Ideal for the barbecue, but soft enough to quaff by itself.
Rioja Vega 2004 ($9-$10): Although made from 75 percent tempranillo and 25 percent garnacha, this could pass for a good pinot noir. The nose and palate are dominated by red fruit notes with a hint of Rioja earthiness on the finish.
Vina Mayor 2001 Crianza Ribera del Duero ($9-$10): Although this doesn’t have the robust structure of the Vina Mayor 1999 Reserva (see above), it’s stylish and well-made, similar in style to a good Bordeaux cru bourgeois.
Biurko Arbanta Rioja ($9-$10): This non-vintage, 100 percent tempranillo Rioja is fresh, fruity and round.
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