Featured Wines - August 2011

The full-bodied 2004 Tares Pago 3 offers up copious quantities of black cherry fruit, smooth spicy oak, and an intensity that can only be found in fine wines from the greatest vintages (and the 2004 vintage in Spain is certainly one of the finest in recent memory). Plush, rich, and downright velvety, the 2004 Pago 3 marries gorgeous Mencia fruit to ripe tannins that gird the wine's voluptuous core. Moreover, this wine's superb balance and complexity make it ideal for current consumption as well as further ageing.

Veigas de Padriñán's simple label draws little attention to the special elixir that sleeps within, adding further testimony to the old adage: “The simpler the label, the better the wine.” In the case of Veigas de Padriñán, this time-honored maxim certainly holds true. The 2008 Veigas de Padriñán is classic old vine Albariño. Its robe shines brightly with a glint of golden sunshine, while its bouquet offers equal enticement in the guise of pear and mango scents, mingled with dried honey, cut grass, and subtle floral tones.

Deep, fleshy, and downright opulent, the 2006 Ridgeline coats the mouth and satiates the palate with complex, satisfying flavors to make any wine lover happy that the price of admission includes more than the tantalizing aroma of the wine. Balanced and beautiful with a synergistic flow between fruit and tannin, this mountain Cabernet will provide excellent drinking pleasure now and for the next four to five years.

The 2010 Bodega Goulart Torrontes welcomes the eager imbiber with a bright, sunshiny robe and a fresh, heady bouquet that begs the taster to jump right in. Rose petal and tropical fruit flavors mingle with ginger and sandalwood scents to caress the nose, before seeping surreptitiously into the marrow of the wine. From the nose, one might expect that a fruity or even a much sweeter concoction awaits, but Torrontes has a way of seducing its adherents without a lot of residual sugar.

Approachable, friendly, and down-right irresistible, this old vine Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero thoroughly enchants the nose as well as the palate. Richly fruity and loaded with flavor, this youthful offering fills the mouth, making it a true pleasure to drink from start to finish. Opulent and ripe, Bodegas Gormaz's Ribera del Duero offers nary a tannic edge, in spite of its youthful ardor. Consequently, this impressive offering's best days may still lie ahead.

Imbued with a touch of the Castilian sun in its bright shiny robe and endowed with the ripe, sensuous scents of apple, pear, and tropical fruits, we found the Val de Vid's 2009 Condesa Eylo Rueda Verdejo hard to resist. Fleshy, yet at the same time elegant, racy, and well-structured, the 2009 Condesa Eylo offers satisfaction in every sip.

Deep crimson and violet in appearance, redolent with the scents and savors of blackberry, currant, wood smoke, bacon, pepper, and spice, Water Wheel's Memsie Homestead packs plenty of pleasure into its voluptuous frame. Fresh, medium to full-bodied, and ohhh so easy to drink, it's not hard to see why this wine has become a veritable crowd pleaser.