After an almost 4 hour round trip taking Betsy to JFK, I went over to Rob?s for local wine group. He had chosen a pretty brutal theme, Spain South of Madrid. I deemed it the Oceans of Swill tasting, and suggested to the French guys we burn his car like the French farmers burn Spanish tankers. But no takers. Food was good- 2 chorizos, jamon iberico de bellota, another ham, a spicy sausage, spinach/chickpea salad, cheeses, and Fred made a seafood paella.
Wines were blind
2017 La Choza de Callejuela Palomino but not fortified. Nutty/oxidative nose, a little petrolly, more interesting than tasty. B-2014 Gordo (Yecla) Ripe, a bit tannic, some floral notes (I guess Monastrell from Yecla or Jumilla, but that?s what I guessed for all the wines this style) B/B-
2016 Borja Prez Artífice Tinto (Ycoden-Daute-Isora, Tenerife) (no guessing mine)Fresh, crunchy red cherry/raspberry fruit, orange zest, bright and lively. Nice balance. Great QPR. B+2014 Equilibrio 9 Monastrell (Jumilla) Dark fruits, a little pruney, big, a little hot. B-
2018 Clos Lojen Bobal (Manchuela) I didn?t think this was Monastrell, but had no clue what it was. Tart, bright acids, light, enjoyable. B2018 Sierra Salinas MO Monastrel (Alicante) Big, ripe, but with nice herbal edge. B-
2017 Casa Castillo El Molar Ripe heading towards overripe, a bit hot, short. B-/C+Some others liked wines more than me. We also got in some mini-basketball, pingpong, and foosball. We also tried a bottle of the 1959 Vienot CdP that had been opened Wed and accidentally set aside, I had recorked and refrigerated for 2 days. Understandably some obvious oxidation, but there was still some good fruit and nice meaty notes.
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. 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.