Cote Rotie meets Burgundy

I have a new crush on a pair of wines from Spain and think they’re something you need to have on your radar.  More often than not the beauty of wine is the story and if you have 5 minutes to kill have I got a story for you.

D. Ventura is winemaker Ramón Losada’s new winery venture from the ancient wine growing region of Galicia.  The wines have been described as “Cote Rotie meets Burgundy” and you’ll find no argument here.  Now, if that statement means nothing to you what its getting at that is the wines are as intense, dark, rich and driven as Syrah from Cote Rotie in the Rhone Valley and are as soft, delicate and supple as the Pinot Noir from Burgundy.  That’s quite a combination! The grape in question here is niether Syrah nor Pinot Noir, rather it is Mencia, a grape that has more or less (accurately or not) been associated with the Cabernet Franc grape of France.  

Made in the northwest corner of Spain, the region of Ribeira Sacra (Sacred Banks) is one of Spain’s most stunning, steeply terraced wine landscaped areas.  It is the situation of the vineyards along with the growing practices that sets these wines are apart.  The growing terraces in some areas are so steep that all the grapes have to be brought in on a dumb waiter. All farming is entirely organic and done entirely by hand from three different vineyard sites.

Two of the wines, the Caneiro and Pena do Lobo, border different river banks.  Caneiro in particular is unique. Steep terraces line the river and the soil here is pure slate known as Losa. The river here adds a sweet freshness to this plot, cooling it during the heat of the day. Pena do Lobo is also on the river but the vineyard is less steep and is slighty further from the river. The soils are a mix of slate and granite. Viña do Burato is in a totally different area north of the other two on the Miño River. Here the landscape is lush. Streams flow directly through the vineyard on the way down to the river Miño. The soils here are more fertile and alluvial. All three of these plots have unique climates that create distinct wines.

The wines are bought in by Spanish specialist Demaison Selections and at under $20 are wines that in terms of character, vibrancy and excitablity just mop the floor with New World wines at the same price. They are another example – yet again – that even in light of a strong Euro that if you have a $20 bill the best bang for your wine buck is in the land of Espana.

2007 D. Ventura Viña do Burato
100% Mencía from older vines. Not a drop of oak used to make the whopping 400 case production of this wine. Definitely finer and more elegant than the other offerings from D. Ventura.

Stephen Tanzer, 90 pts “Juicy red fruits on the palate . . . taking on a black raspberry quality and finishing with sneaky, sweet persistence. There’s a pinot-like elegance here that I find appealing.”

2007 D. Ventura Viña Caneiro
Also 100% Mencía, but from a mind boggling 80+ year old vines. Like all other wine, no oak used to make tiny production of this sexy, supple lush velvelty curtain of a wine.  Again the press agrees, this time BOTH Tanzer and Parker hing bon mots on the wine.

Stephen Tanzer, 91 pts “. . . showing scents of blackberry, soy sauce, black olive and smoke, along with a spicy undertone. . . sweet dark berry and cherry flavors and a strong mineral quality. Chewy, spicy and broad on the finish. . .”

Robert Parker, 92 pts “. . . Purple-colored, with a kinky/sexy perfume, aromas of black fruits, mineral, and incense are captivating. Riper and sweeter on the palate, notes of black cherry and black raspberry emerge on the palate leading to a lengthy, smooth, fruit-filled finish. . .”

2007 D. Ventura Pena Do Lobo
Finishing out the tank aged, 100% Mencía triumvirate is this offering from a far more fertile soil than its siblings which serves to make the wine rounder and fleshier, very long and lush with a very sexy, velvelty curtain-type finish.  Definitely the most panache and style of the three, at a song of a price.

Robert Parker 91 pts “Deep crimson-colored, it exhibits a complex nose of mineral, black cherry, and black raspberry. On the palate it has a slightly roasted character imposed on a silky, elegant platform of fruit. . .”

Stephen Tanzer 91 pts “Intensely perfumed aromas of cherry, blackcurrant, licorice and violet, with a kick of black pepper adding vivacity. . . Nicely blends power with energy, finishing with mineral-driven persistence  . . .”

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