Bill Spohn
He put the 'bar' in 'barrister'
9556
Tue Mar 21, 2006 7:31 pm
Vancouver BC
Bill Spohn wrote:1978 Torres Gran Coronas Black Label (Penedes) – my last bottle of this excellent wine. Someone called it Mas La Plana, and I corrected them – that was a name not yet coined by Torres for their top bottling. They started calling it Mas La Plana some time in the 1980s. It is 100% cabernet, aged in new American oak for 18 months. The remarkable thing is that at this age, we all had the same reaction that this couldn’t be American oak and must be French, until we checked it out. None of the dill hints of young American oak you often get. Mature and elegant, the wine still has excellent colour with garnet edges, not browning appreciably. The nose was mellow aged wood and soft fruit, the tannins all resolved. Lovely mature elegant cabernet. Wish I had bought more when it was released almost 30 years ago! This would make out very well indeed in a tasting of 1978 clarets or Californian cabernets (some Beaulieu Georges de Latour has also fooled me into thinking it wasn’t American oak when it was at least 20 years old)
Bill Spohn
He put the 'bar' in 'barrister'
9556
Tue Mar 21, 2006 7:31 pm
Vancouver BC
Mark S wrote:Bill Spohn wrote:Raiding the far reaches of the cellar, eh Bill? I think I had a Gran Coronas once but I forget which year. Interesting the oak changed character.
Paul Winalski
Wok Wielder
8058
Wed Mar 22, 2006 9:16 pm
Merrimack, New Hampshire
Bill Spohn wrote:1978 Torres Gran Coronas Black Label (Penedes) – my last bottle of this excellent wine. Someone called it Mas La Plana, and I corrected them – that was a name not yet coined by Torres for their top bottling. They started calling it Mas La Plana some time in the 1980s. It is 100% cabernet, aged in new American oak for 18 months. The remarkable thing is that at this age, we all had the same reaction that this couldn’t be American oak and must be French, until we checked it out. None of the dill hints of young American oak you often get. Mature and elegant, the wine still has excellent colour with garnet edges, not browning appreciably. The nose was mellow aged wood and soft fruit, the tannins all resolved. Lovely mature elegant cabernet. Wish I had bought more when it was released almost 30 years ago! This would make out very well indeed in a tasting of 1978 clarets or Californian cabernets (some Beaulieu Georges de Latour has also fooled me into thinking it wasn’t American oak when it was at least 20 years old)
JC (NC)
Lifelong Learner
6679
Mon Mar 27, 2006 12:23 pm
Fayetteville, NC
Jenise
FLDG Dishwasher
42713
Tue Mar 21, 2006 2:45 pm
The Pacific Northest Westest
Hoke
Achieving Wine Immortality
11420
Sat Apr 15, 2006 1:07 am
Portland, OR
Hoke wrote:Sold bucketloads of Torres, each and every one of their wines. Sold a lot of Sangre de Toro, Corona and a bunch of Gran Corona. The '78 Gran Corona Black Label was a gorgeous wine, from its beginning to the last of numerous bottles I sucked down.
Bill Spohn
He put the 'bar' in 'barrister'
9556
Tue Mar 21, 2006 7:31 pm
Vancouver BC
Bill Spohn wrote:I was always faintly embarrassed about the plastic bull and some friends made mock about it, but damn it, the wine istelf was pretty darned good and great value!
Anyone remember Gran Sangre de Toro? Not brought in here any more, but I reecall it with fondness too, when one was feeling particularly flush in the wallet department.
Jenise
FLDG Dishwasher
42713
Tue Mar 21, 2006 2:45 pm
The Pacific Northest Westest
Bill Spohn wrote:I was always faintly embarrassed about the plastic bull and some friends made mock about it, but damn it, the wine istelf was pretty darned good and great value!
Anyone remember Gran Sangre de Toro? Not brought in here any more, but I reecall it with fondness too, when one was feeling particularly flush in the wallet department.
Hoke
Achieving Wine Immortality
11420
Sat Apr 15, 2006 1:07 am
Portland, OR
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