A visit with the folks up in central Massachusetts, a very pleasant evening outdoors after a harried day of running errands. One of my favorite meals of ribeye off the grill seems appropriate, so before heading outside to attend to the charcoal, I pop open a bottle of
2007 Las Colinas Del Ebro Terra Alta Garnacha Blanca (Terra Alta DO, Tarragona, Catalunya, Spain) 13.5% - imported to USA by Grapes of Spain, Lorton, Virginia - the nose immediately garners my attention, as it has a bit of that dry cheesiness I can't quite describe along with a bit of sauvignon blancesque grapefruit, my mouth is watering. In the mouth, it is a bit viscous, dry and concentrated fruit at the same time, that grapefruit is back with some stones, but overall it just tastes rounded, it tastes fresh, it tastes of fruit. I like fruit. I really like this wine. This is what summer is all about. At $11, this wine is a score.
The charcoal burns, the coals emerge, the steaks plop on the grill. My mom and I have made a serious dent in the garnacha, so I emerge with a bottle of 2005 Viña Buena Ribera del Duero Tempranillo Tinto Joven (Ribera del Duero DO, Castilla y León, north central Spain) 13% - imported to USA by Bodega-Bodega Selection, Tasman Imports, Washington, DC. My mom is not a red fan, but there is garnacha left to savor, and I want a simple red with my steak. What a choice. Dark purple color, nose of fruit that you'd better eat today, a day longer and it'll be too ripe to enjoy, but today it's just at that edge of being too much, yet not. I had left this wine in the fridge for 25 minutes or so as I don't have a proper cellar, and wanted this to be cool to the touch. It was cool in the mouth, but still the dominant impression was 'hot fruit'. It so much reminded me of hot blueberry pie. It was rustic, it was simple, it was direct--I need to find wines like this to drink more often. It reminds me of those little forgettable village wines that one drinks with meals while travelling, that, ironically, make such experience so memorable. My mom even tried it and didn't object, due to the absence of tannins. What a match for the food. A wonder for $12. I did what I could that night, and, of course, when I returned to it on day two, the wine had turned tart and harsh. The moment had passed. The memory remains.