[TN] '90 Chapoutier Hemitage

LOL. If you follow "Parker" reviews on Spanish wines, you end up drinking wines that look like Australian fruit bombs.

Coincidentally, I'm drinking more Spanish wine now than ever before (well, excepting grad school when Torres's Sangre de Toro at $3.00 a bottle was a staple of my existence). However, my Spanish wines these days comes primarily from Galicia and El País Vasco, areas that "Big Jay" Miller rarely talks about. I do have a few old school Rioja and even a bottle of Manchuela from Victor de la Serna's Finca Sandoval. Oh, and I've certainly been enjoying various La Bota Sherries from Equipo Navazos, but they never make it to our cellar ;-)

Mark Lipton

Mark Lipton wrote in news:j9p6j2$u9n$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org:

I don't drink that much Spanish wine because I have found that Cru Beaujolais or Chinon are much better suited to my needs xDDD

Now, seriously, there are very interesting wines coming from Spain that are not spoofulated.

Galice is a good place to start, both for whites and reds. They usually have an Atlantic (read: not Mediterranean) profile that makes them very easy to drink.

Sadly, some of the producers from Galice are putting more oak that they should after they are getting the first recognition. Let's hope they don't start spoofulating their excellent fruit.

But you can also find excellent wines in Ribera (specially from the sandy parts). Dominio de Atauta is a classic in this style, and I have heard a lot of good things of the wines of Goyo García Viadero. Tomás Postigo is making an outstanding barrel fermented white from D.O. Rueda.

From the South, I am very happy drinking the wines of Cortijo de los Aguilares, which come altitude vineyards around Ronda (close to Marbella). Their Pago El Espino is a very good wine.

BTW, some Rioja classic wines from the 2001 are outstanding: both López de Heredia Tondonia and Bosconia, as well as Viña Ardanza Reserva Especial.

Best,

s.

If I ever had any Chapoutier red Hermitage, it was so long ago that I do not remember it. However I have a few half bottles of their Vin de Paille 1990 which I should taste soon. Of course this has nothing in common with the red you tasted other than the name Chapoutier.

Paul Jaboulet's "La Chapelle" 1982 and 1983 Hermitage were both very good, and well stored bottles may still be. I have not tasted it for several years.

I also have had Chave Blanc 1979 and Guigal Blanc 1981. Some of the best older white Hermitage could age well for many years. Some more recent examples, even from famous names, have been reported not to age so long or so well. It appears, that like modern white Burgundy, changes in production methods may have thrown out the baby with the bath water as far as good development with very extended aging are concerned

I liked this wine years ago, uncertain what I'd think now (the variables re changing tastes. wines aging, and bottle variation make for a LOT of conjecture). Thanks for notes.

thanks for suggestions

Louis, Many thanks for your insights. Yes, I drink quite a bit of Cru Beaujolais and Chinon/Bourgueil too. While there are quite a few producers in Bierzo now that have, alas, decided to oak their Mencia, in the nearby Ribeira Sacra there are some very good producers still making pure, fresh red wines from Mencia. Godello and Albariño are also on list these days.

I can't say that I've heard of your Ribera producers before, but I'll keep an eye out. I don't know where you're located, but Jose Pastor does a great job of importing interesting Spanish wines to the American market these days.

And, yes, Lopez de Heredia makes some very interesting wines, but I also have some recent wines from C.V.N.E. (Reserva Imperial and Contino).

Mark Lipton

me believes Louis is Santiago

DaleW wrote in news:7571181.2329.1321240173876.JavaMail.geo-discussion-forums@vbac9:

Yessss. Louis A. Parker is the pen name I use in a literature group!

s.

Ah, so! I missed the signature.

Thanks! Mark Lipton