To start the new year right, the regulars plus Sergi and Rafael from Barcino Gourmet met up last night at Cafe Ysabel for the year's first competition. As Arnie had just been to Barcelona and brought home a ham, we decided an appropriate theme would be Spain, with 9 wines in competition.
Pre-dinner, we polished off the ham with some white wines:
Torres Nerola 2006 - Xarel-lo and Garnacha Blanca. Cologne-like aroma. Very silky. Some sweetness and a little woody. Quite rich. Dry finish. Initially, very good and flavorful but it got a bit tiring to drink. Good with the ham, though.
Marques de Alella 2007 - Some heat on the nose. Crisp but ripe. Sour apple. Friendly wine.
The preliminaries over, we moved to the tasting proper. While we usually vote for the top three, in this case, as there were many wines, we decided to expand it to top five.
Wine A - Dark. Ripe berry nose. Coffee. Rich. Young, modern, international style. Good but doesn't really grab you. Group #8. Morlanda Crianza 2005 Priorat.
Wine B - Raspberry. Dry. Medium-full. Spice, leafy. Good length. The elements of a good wine are there but somehow it just doesn't come together. Close to peak. Disjointed. Group #9. LAN Rioja reserva 2001.
Wine C - Faded color and some browning on the rim indicate age. Mint leaf. Lovely nose. Good fruit. Tobacco. Dry finish. Seems at peak now. Excellent with a classical Rioja flavor. Group #1. My #1. Mayor de Ondarre Reserva Rioja 2001. Keiichi redeemed himself with this wine after the dismal last place showing of his Leoville Las Cases 1989 last year.
Wine D - Very dark. Rich and sweet. Oaky. Curry notes after some air. Tannic. Complex. Excellent but international in style. Tied with wines H and I for Group #4. My #2. Vinos Pinyol Mather Teresina 2003/2004 Terra Alta.
Wine E - Lightish color. Good nose but it took a while to express itself. Dried fruit, dried herbs. Well balanced. Medium rich. Some age on this, I think. Very good. Group #2. My #5. Beronia Rioja Gran Reserva 2001.
Wine F - Quite dark. High acidity but good fruit. Not too interesting at first but got much better with air. Very good. Group #7. My #4. Alvaro Palacios Finca Dofi Priorat 1998.
Wine G - Very dark. Slightly burnt nose. Smooth, rich, chocolate. Classy, slick wine. Very good with some upside potential. Group #3. My #3. Aalto 2004.
Wine H - Dark. Fruity nose. Soft and plummy. Good. Tied with wines D and I for Group #4. Alvaro Palacios Les Terrasses Priorat 2003.
Wine I - Color and sediment showing the age of this wine. Very dry. Initially a bit hollow but rounded out after some air. Seems to be just past peak. I would drink this sooner than later. Still, a good wine. Tied with wines D and H for Group #4. My wine. Alvaro Palacios Priorat Finca Dofi 1996.
As we had three wines tied for 4th to 6th place, we decided that the cheaper wine would get the higher ranking. In this case 4th place went to Wine H - Alvaro Palacios Les Terrasses Priorat 2003, 5th place went to Wine D - Vinos Pinyol Mather Teresina 2003/2004 Terra Alta, and 6th place went to Wine I, my wine - Alvaro Palacios Priorat Finca Dofi 1996. Too bad I just missed out on the top 5 due to price.
A "pre-dessert" of honeyed fig with goat cheese followed the tasting and this was paired quite successfully with a Dow Vintage Port 1985 - Plum and fig. A little chocolate. Dry finish. Lightish and spirity. Best to drink up.
Dessert proper of souffle with a chocolate lava center and ice cream followed paired with Vinos Pinyol Josefina Pinyol Vi Dolc Mistela. A good match. No notes but the appearance of the striking square bottle of this wine is always welcome.
Stay tuned for the next contest - either Rhone or Bordeaux - at the end of this month.