What's New in August

The Sandy Shores of Rueda

The sandy shores of Rueda? I bet you thought that Rueda was far in-land, and maybe even that it has some of the highest elevations in Spain. Well, you'd be right on both accounts. Rueda is located in central Spain, a bit north of Madrid, and the vineyards here are at elevations nearing 1000 meters. But the mesas of Rueda looked very different a few million years ago, this high and dry land once was a lush sea-bed. The water may be gone but the sand still remains. The sand helps to maintain the very limited amount of moisture that exists in Rueda, and allows for greater day and night temperature differences. This process creates wines with fresh acidity.

Tres Olmos is a new project by Antonio Arevalo of Garciarevalo. Several parcels of very old vines were selected. These parcels range from 100 to 140+ years old on sandy soils with all the vines planted on original rootstock. These old bush vines are the remnants of a large viticultural tradition in his area known as Matapozuelos. Antonio has been rescuing the old parcels and breathing life into them. Many of these old vines are used in the Casamaro blend to add structure. This year they were separated and left on the finest lees for six months before being bottled. Total production was 1500 cases.

Winemaker Notes:
After a few years of investigating a couple of old vines plots that we own in Matapozuelos we opted for utilizing native yeast and extend lees aging to bring out the full nature of the site. 2006 was an outstanding vintage which resulted in ripe wines with balance and structure.

Tasting Notes:
Limes and citrus notes combine with a waxy component. The palate shows many complex elements such as Marzipan and citrus derivatives. The finish is lengthy and round.

Also New...

In the New York Times:
"From Catalonia"
Eric Asimov of the New York Times takes a look at red wines from Spain's Montsant region of Catalonia. See what he had to say about the wines from Joan d'Anguera.

In Wine Enthusiast Magazine:
Viña Sastre Roble
90 Points
2005
$19
Sastre does not make mass-market, inexpensive wines; this is the base-level offering. And it's a delicious, moderately complex Ribera that is fat and fruity but also exotic and a touch beguiling. It will make an excellent accompaniment to basic grilled meats; drink now or though 2008. 1,600 cases produced. -M.S. (6/1/2007)

Links of Interest

>What's New Archive
>André's Report
>André's Travel Blog