Ladredo, Ribeira Sacra

Tags

dirk niepoort, guimaro, ladredo, mencia, raul perez, ribeira sacra, spain

The constant search and willingness to learn more led Dirk Niepoort to the beautiful and impressive Galician wine region of Ribeira Sacra. With the help of a Spanish winemaker who knew well the region, a traditional vineyard, called Ladredo, was found on the slopes of River Sil. It is planted in small terraces, with stone walls and east exposure.

Mencía is the most important grape variety, with a very interesting aromatic profile, and the ability to originate wines with excellent acidity and great elegance.

Vines here are 50 years, exposed to the east. This vineyard has two co-existing varieties: Mencía (called Jaen in Portugal) and Alicante Bouschet. They account for 65% and 35%, respectively, of the batch.

2010 was a very regular year in the area, with 800 mm of rain spread during winter and spring; hot summer but not excessively and good yields. All these lead to a very gentle and balanced maturation season, with good concentration without very high sugar content. Harvest was done in the 22nd of September with good weather. Fermentation was done in open wood vat with 40% of all bunches. Fermentation took 3 days to start and stayed 35 days with skin contact. The wine aged 14 months in used French oak barrels. The wine was bottled in April 2012.

Ladredo 2010 shows great freshness combined with very good concentration, with the typical aromas of Mencía, spicy, peppery and cinnamon notes, very pure fruit with cherry and red berry aromas, everything involved with the mineral stony character of the slate soils. The palate is fresh and vibrant, plenty of fruit and spices, with a present but soft tannic structure, great acidity and great length. Deep with very good ageing potential.

The wine is not clear, due to no fining nor filtration. The color can resemble the fine Cabernet Franc of Chinon or Bourgeuil. Upon opening the acidity is remarkable, but will settle with a little bit of air.

 

Pepe Raventos at Riedel Wine Bar & Cellar

Tags

Bangkok, catalunya, penedes, pepe raventos, raventos i blanc, riedel wine bar, spain, sparkling wine

The wines we will pour that evening includes the following with Robert Parker descriptions:

RAVENTOS I BLANC Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut 2015, Penedes, Spain

The 2015 Blanc de Blancs, was produced with fruit from different organic and biodynamic plots within their 60 hectares of vineyards and some purchased grapes. The blend of 42% Xarello, 38% Macabeo and 20% Parellada fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel and was put to re-ferment in bottle with Champagne yeasts for no less than 18 months. The soils are rich in limestone and marine fossils, but the vineyards used for this wine have some more clay, and the wines have more volume and fruit, yet the wine is very clean, fresh and tasty with what, for Pepe Raventós, is the salty minerality of this small region within Penedès. This is approachable and delicious, super tasty and balanced, from a typical-climate vintage. 220,000 bottles produced. This is an extra brut with five grams of residual sugar. RP 90

RAVENTOS I BLANC de Nit Rose 2015, Penedes, Spain

The ultra pale sparkling rosé 2015 De Nit is a blend of 40% Xarello, 36% Macabeo, 18% Parellada and 6% Monastrell from their biodynamic vineyards. The color is obtained by pressing the Xarello and Monastrell together, which result in a pale must. It re-fermented in bottle for no less than 18 months and has 4.5 grams of sugar, so it’s an extra brut. It’s deliciously perfumed, subtle and elegant, with a core of aniseed, fennel and Mediterranean plants. It’s more serious than the majority of rosés, more with the spirit of a white. The palate has the delicious flavors and the tastiness of the limestone soils and a somewhat bitter touch in the finish, perhaps the contribution of Monastrell. This is stunning. Biodynamic. RP 91+

RAVENTOS I BLANC de la Finca Extra Brut 2014, Penedes, Spain

The blend of 50% Xarello, 40% Macabeo and 10% Parellada for the 2014 De la Finca was produced from different plots planted with the different varieties in the so-called fossil vineyard, Vinya dels Fòssils. The vineyard is in the east-facing part of their property and tends to produce the more mineral wines, with low pH and high acidity. Each variety was fermented separately, blended and left in contact with the lees for at least six months before being put in bottle for the second fermentation and aging of at least 30 months. This is the wine that they think best represents their estate, the one that represents the Raventós i Blanc style, with enough character from the lees and the Mediterranean character and the marine minerality of the soils. Biodynamic. RP 92

RAVENTOS I BLANC Textures de Pedra Extra Brut 2013, Penedes, Spain

The 2013 Textures de Pedra is an unusual blend of white and red grapes vinified in the style of a white. The blend of 30% Xarello, 25% Xarello Vermell, 25% Sumoll, 15% Bastard Negre and 5% Parellada from a cool and rainy vintage resulted in lively wines with high acidity and potential for bottle aging. The musts fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel, and the wines were kept for at least six months with lees in tank. It matured in bottle in contact with the lees from Champagne yeasts for no less than 42 months. It has a deep golden color and a very intense, characterful nose, but it’s in the palate where you get the intensity, the pungent flavors, the salty tastiness, the depth, the liveliness and the electricity. This is only the third vintage of this wine, from one of the best vintages in recent years together with 2007 and 2010. This is more mineral and austere, from stonier, shallow soils at higher altitude. Biodynamic. RP 93

RAVENTOS I BLANC Manuel Raventos Negra 2011, Penedes, Spain

This is Manuel Raventós Negra’s personal selection of the best wines from each given vintage made the way he learned to do it, tasting and blending, and therefore, the wine is different from year to year. In this warm and Mediterranean 2011, it was 100% Xarello from the north-facing plot they call Clos, which is cooler and has a slower ripening of the grapes, which results in wines with good structure and natural acidity. As with the majority of wines, it’s kept with lees for no less than six months after fermenting in stainless steel and then put to re-ferment in bottle, where it was kept in contact with the lees for at least 60 months. It’s very smoky and yeasty, warmed and more developed than the other wines I tasted, even the older ones, with perhaps the magnum a little less developed. Yeasty and spicy, with notes of aniseed and fennel, it has a seamless palate with very integrated bubbles and moderate acidity, which corresponds to a warmer and riper year. The magnum was definitively better, with a slower development and a livelier palate. If magnums are better for still wines, for sparkling they are clearly better. There are 2,000 bottles and 667 magnums. RP 93

 

Contino, the first single vineyard estate in Rioja

Tags

contino, cvne, red wine, rioja, spain, tempranillo

Contino is a single-estate bodega (62 ha of vineyards) based in a 200-year-old farmhouse just outside the town of Laguardia in the Alavesa region. The estate’s name comes from the royal guard of 100 soldiers who guarded the monarch. The label is emblazoned with the bust of San Gregorio, the patron saint and protector of vineyards.

José Madrazo Real de Asúa (father of Contino’s current winemaker, Jesús Madrazo) established the estate while serving as CVNE’s technical director in 1974. The idea was to create one of the first single estate bodegas in the Rioja region, in direct contrast to the Rioja tradition of blending grapes from different regions and sites. CVNE had long been sourcing fruit from the Contino site for its Viña Real, but decided to purchase the entire plot around the farmhouse and plant it all to vines (a large portion of the land still had other crops planted at the time).

Jesús Madrazo spent much of his childhood at the bodega and has intimate exposure to the terroir and vinification practices, so it’s little wonder that his work at Contino is held in such high regard. While the bulk of the vines planted at Contino are Tempranillo (85%), Madrazo has also been a champion of the Graciano grape which comprises the bulk of the remaining planting. The balance is planted to Garnacha, Mazuelo and Viura.

Luis Gutierrez of Robert Parker describes “the nose is unmistakably Rioja; balsamic and ripe with lush Tempranillo fruit, plenty of spices and hints of leather. The palate shows a powerful, ripe and persistent wine with fine-grained tannins balanced by enough acidity and freshness. It has great balance between modernity and tradition, showing true to its origins.”

Spanish Steps dinner at Bunker, May 7-9th, 2017

Tags

andreas pergher, arnie marcella, Bangkok, bodega k, bunker, cims de porrera, dehesa la granja, equipo navazos, new american, olivier riviere, raventos i blanc, spain, spanish wine, wine dinner, wine garage, zarate

We are extremely pleased to work with Arnie Marcella, Chef and Andreas Pergher, Beverage Director, on this menu and wine pairing, which traces back Arnie’s history and stories.

The above 4-course menu is thb 2,250++ with optional wine pairing  at thb 1,500++.

Recently, the dining front of our City of Angels seems to progress faster than any other Asian metropoles; unfolding new entries, especially from Spain, with an array of dishes and wines that shed light on our senses.

For this dinner we propose wines from some of Spain’s most innovative regions or winemakers and invite you to join our road to discovery:

Raventos I Blanc, formerly in the Cava D.O, but Manuel and Pepe decided to depart in 2013, and began the process of creating a new, terroir driven appellation, Conca del Riu Anoia. As an aperitif we pour their chalky and dry Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut 2014.

Equipo Navazos, are partners Dr Jesús Barquín and Eduardo Ojeda, who have single-handedly revived the sherry landscape by releasing small lots from long-forgotten bodegas. This Florpower however is not fortified, but shows how the precise Palomino grape can become with ageing under flor for 20 months. Dense, with lovely minerality and nutty background.

Bodega K, is one of many producers in the wet and windy Basque country. We fell in love with the simple and fresh aromatics of Txacolina, which bursts with energy and pairs well with seafood.

Zarate, there is Albarino and there is Zarate. Say no more. Galicia’s favorite white wine for seafood.

Dehesa La Granja, is a mature Tempranillo from legendary winemaker Alejandro Fernandez of Pesquera. The Toro region brings out powerful and intense wines, however the 24 months in oak cask followed by 6 years bottle ageing does its trick here and delivers and great drink today.

Olivier Riviere, the terroirist Frenchman in Rioja, also works a small plot in the Arlanza DO. The high elevation and old vines planted in 1930s, makes a wine unlike any other Tempranillo – showcasing floral, black wild berries and spicy notes.

Vi de Vila Priorat, is made by the Cims de Porrera cooperatives high above the Mediterranean Sea. The old vines and unique licorella soil (black slate) are responsible for a powerful and intriguing red wine.

 

Arnie Marcella’s career was exclusively in star-studded NYC restaurants including Jean-Georges, Marea, Corton, Alto, The Elm, Aldea, Docle Stil Novo, and Ai Fiori. So perhaps, later next year, The Bangkok Michelin Guide will also have a place for Bunker?

To book please call  092 563 9991 or email reservation@bunkerbkk.com

 

Wine & Tapas at Toro, Bangkok

Tags

andalusia, basque country, jumilla, penedes, rueda, sherry, spain, tapas, toro, wine pairing, wines from spain

Toro is the brainchild of James Beard Award-winner Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette, whose Boston outlet opened in 2005. As the queues got longer and longer, they soon ventured to New York City and since last year also opened in Bangkok. The Barcelona-inspired tapas bar is housed in Courtyard 72, a burgeoning open-plan mall, smack in the middle of bustling Thonglor.

On Wednesday, March 22, Chef Zach Watkins has selected 10 tapas dishes to pair with our wines from Penedes, Rueda, Basque Country, Jumilla, Toro and also Andalusia. The menu including wines is priced at thb 1,500++ per person and can be booked by calling

081 929 6562 or 02 392 7790

Come taste a fresher and more delicate Spain, and discover the changes that happened the past 15 years.

 

Raventos I Blanc Blanc de Blancs, traditional Cava grapes aged 18 months on lees

Basque country makes the ultimate seafood wine from Hondarrabi Zuri

Verdejo can be the next famous white grape from Spain. Belondrade’s unoaked Apolonia

Jumilla’s leading estate is Casa Castillo, making refined Monastrell, Syrah and Garnacha

Alejandro Fernandez’ estate in Toro, late released 2008

Equipo Navazos reawakens the sherry category with superb finds from old cellars

Hacienda Monasterio, Ribera del Duero

Tags

hacienda monasterio, peter sisseck, spain, tempranillo, tinta del pais

Year-in-year out Peter Sisseck and owner Carlos del Rio make one of the most impressive red wines of stature in region of Ribera del Duero. Low yields of 30HL, old vines planted on calcareous soils and elevation of 750 meters, the arid climate with cool nights, help achieve ripeness, intense aromatics, and of course full bodied wines that rank only behind Rioja among consumers’ recognition.

The Crianza is a blend of 80% Tinta del Pais (aka Tempranillo),Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, that has spend 18 months in oak, of which 30% are new. Always, silky and polished, the 15% ABV is well hidden behind the fresh and mineral aromas with
licorice notes and currants. The signature notes of red wines from this region.

This wine is often recognized among the finest values in the region, and accolades abound from the world’s leading palettes:

Luis Gutierrez for Robert Parker “This could very well be the best crianza ever produced at Monasterio. This has to be one of the bargains of the vintage in Ribera, given the quality it delivers.” RP 94

Josh Raynolds for Vinous “Concentrated yet vibrant and precise, finishing with excellent clarity, velvety tannins and excellent tenacity.” Vinous 93

Jancis Robinson “Superbly charged with juicy black fruit. It combines richness and elegance on the back palate. Quite impressive.” 17/20

Belondrade Y Lurton, a Grand Cru for 20+ years

Tags

belondrade y lurton, grand cru, rueda, spain, valladolid, verdejo

Rueda has a fine-wine making tradition dating back centuries, especially the local white grape variety, Verdejo, has been regarded the best of Spain.

From the 1994 vintage onwards, the French husband and wife team, lead by Jean Belondrade, set out to create a great barrel-fermented dry white wine with Burgundian philosophy and values, resulting in a limited production Verdejo cherished by sommeliers from Paris, to London and Tokyo.

30 hectares  (74 acres) divided up into 19 plots that bring different characteristics to the wine, depending on soil types, exposures, rootstocks and clones. The soils of this part of the plateau are generally made up of a 10-60cm deep layer of pebbles over a layer of clay and a deep stratum of limestone.

The estate wine is 100% Verdejo fermented and aged on its lees in 300-litre French oak barrels. Each plot is fermented and aged separately. Spontaneous and controlled fermentation with indigenous yeasts.At the end of a 10-12 month ageing period, a selection and blending take place. The wine stays in bottle for a minimum time of six months. The average annual production is 80,000-90,000 bottles, 495 magnums (1.5 litres) and between 70 and 100 double-magnums (3 litres).

The family also produces an unoaked and fresher, lighter version called Quinta Apolonia, which is a good alternative for a fruity mid-weight wine for every day. While the estate garners ratings well above 90 points, the little brother gets reviewed between 88-90 depending vintage.

 

Interview Philippe Bramaz, Atlan & Artisan

Tags

atlan & artisan, barahonda, monastrell, spain, winemaker interview, yecla

Winemaker Atlan & Artisan

Name: Philippe Bramaz

Winery: Atlan & Artisan

Town/Country: Yecla/Spain

Date: May 2014

Which spot in your vineyard is the most special and why?

There is a Church of an old hermit on top of the vineyard, which has an underground cellar from 1780.  In this cellar, there are amphora, which the owner of Barahonda still uses to ferment some wines.  Being there and sensing how wine was made in the past is a unique experience, something which cannot be replicated.

Epistem with wax capsule

If you link the dots in your life, which experience was the most crucial relating to how you make your wine today?

Meeting and listening to the grand Monsieur Henri Bonneau in Chateauneuf, who showed me how complex, but simple, life can be. A humble mentor, who understands the virtues of balance and patience.

What kind of music do you enjoy listening to when making wine in your cellar?

At 2am in the morning the best sound is that of fermenting grape juice.  Silence is golden.

Ungrafted 60 year old Monastrell

Name a regional dish from your area, which matches best with one of your wines.

The amazing paella with free range rabbit and snails!

Name a restaurant from your recent travels around the world, which changed the way you thought about food and why?

Restaurant Coure in Barcelona – owned and operated by a chef who opened it 10 years ago and seems to evolve every year.  His magic makes you leave after an 8-course meal, not tired of sitting, nor stuffed from the food, but trying to remembering each and every dish. http://www.restaurantcoure.es/

If your wine would die, who or what would it come back as (person/animal)?

It becomes everything in nature!