Last night it was SOBER (Several Oenophiles Being Extremely Rambunctious) night, and we gathered at Drew's house.
We were greeted with the 1998 Charles Ellner Brut Nice medium-weight Champagne, lots of fresh baked biscuit aroma, clean apple fruit and a good finish. Very nice. B+/A-
Theme of the evening was Spain. With all of the hype and discussion after the last Wine Advocate, it was fun to taste some of the discussed wines (as well as others).
There was an assortment of cheeses as well as olives on the table, then a long series of courses started arriving. For the whites there was tomato bread:
1995 Lopez y Heredia "Gravonia" Rioja Blanco Full and pretty nose of flowers and nuts, with a vanilla accent. There's general agreement that palate doesn't measure up to the nose - someone says "flat" and I think that sums it up. Great nose though, enough to get it a B
2006 Pirineos Mesache (I didn't note region on this) Floral and musky, round on the palate. Apparently has some Gewurz, and it shows. Rather tropical fruit, nice different white. B
With a Spanish tortilla/frittata and the most garlicky aioli I've ever run across (luckily I like garlic), we started on the reds:
2003 Rottlan Torra "Amadis" (Priorat) Dark and full, big forward dark fruit- blackberries and black plums. Big powerful wine, but not ungainly. B+
2004 Mas Doix "Salanques" (Priorat) More red fruit driven, lots of oak, very ripe but with more acidity than one might expect. A bit much for me, but tasty - probably a big hit with lovers of luxury CdP cuvees. B
2003 El Nido (Jumilla) If previous wine was a bit too much for my tastes, this one is off the charts. Too dense and overextracted for my palate, feeling incredibly heavy in the mouth. Drinking it reminds me of drinking cassis neat- I can't do either. Others comments range from "dry port" to "cough syrup." D (Mark comments that it is better when consumed next to the salad with a high acid vinaigrette, he's right, but that puts it in C territory for me, not a buy at $100+!).
A big bowl of gazpacho followed, with
2003 Termes (Toro) This is not as oaky as I expected, but the fruit has a definite stewed overripe bent to me. This is a nice mineral & lead pencil note, but it's drowned by the fruit. C+
2004 Numanthia (Toro) More vanilla oak notes than the Termes, big and extracted but the black fruits show a bit fresher than its companion. Big ripe tannins, this isn't my style but its not the caricature that the El Nido is. B
2004 Dominio de Atauta (I think this was Ribera del Duero) A lot of oak here again, but with fresher fruit and brighter acidity than some of the preceding wines. Seems almost graceful in comparison, but I found the finish surprisingly short for a big wine. B
and with the paella:
2000 Artadi "Pagos Viejos" Rioja This is still somewhat oak dominated, with big round fruit and some distinct chocolate notes. A little oaky for me, but a pretty good example of modern styled Rioja. B/B+
1999 La Rioja Alta Ardanza Very fresh, clean red fruit , bright acidity, oak present but in background, and with a nice cedary bent to it. Probably my favorite red of night. B+
1996 Marques de Tomares Gran Reserva Rioja Medium-bodied, with lots of cedary oak over a body of red fruit. Not quite as bright as the Ardanza, but a nice enough wine. B
1994 Marqués de Tomares Reserva de la Familia Rioja (from magnum) unfortunately corked
With a chocolate cake: La Sacristia de Romate Oloroso Nutty and caramelly, I liked but didn't take notes. B
Fun evening. Some of the wines weren't to my tastes, but that's part of the learning experience. Thanks Drew.
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.