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February Spanish Club
This month, we feature two great red wines, one an old friend at a new lower price, and the other a Ribiera del Duero I discovered in Spain.
 First off there's 2006 Castell del Remei Gotim Bru, a 90 point Parker Tempranillo, Merlot and Cabernet blend. The combination of traditional Spanish varietals, namely Tempranillo, with Bordeaux varietals (primarily Cabernet and Merlot), makes for a unique stylistic quality of the wines. Unlike most "Super-Tuscans", where the non-indigenous varietals and modern style tend to predominate, Castel Remei's wines remain unmistakeably Spanish, with lots of plummy/dark cherry fruit, and hints of exotic spices and a complexing earthiness, coupled with a "mouthfilling generosity", as Parker aptly points out.
Located in the northeast section of Spain (near Penedés and Montsant), Castell del Remei lies in the Costers del Segre D.O, about 75 miles from Barcelona. Driving through this region, one can't but help to notice the miles and miles of olive trees -- and the relative lack of vineyards. Yes, this region is primarily devoted to olive and almond growing, yet a few remaining vineyards, much belonging to the Cuisine family, have continued to produce wine. Tomas Cuisine, who began restoring this historically-rich estate in 1982, recognized the opportunity to transform this land into world-class wines.
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January Spanish Wine Club
January's selections have arrived; please come to the shops to pick up your allocation.
 Viña Sulpicia Albillo Also known as Abilla, Albillo de Toro and Blanca del Pais, Albillo is a well-kept Spanish secret. Grown almost exclusively on the Iberian Peninsula, even at a young age Albillo has a distinct golden-yellow hue. This grape is heavy with glycerin and usually exhibits touches of residual sugar and expressive notes of tropical fruits. Often Albillo is blended with Muscat à Petits Grains in versions of the Spanish wine Moscatel or used as a blending grape with Grenache to lighten red wines.
Albillo is found most frequently in the Spanish DOs of Toro and Rueda in the region of Castilla y Leon northwest of Madrid. It grows elsewhere in both Spain and Portugal but remains a rare and indigenous grape.
 Bodegas Borsao's Tres Picos cuvée is always a high scoring cult wine, and we buy as much as we can every year. 100% old vine Garnacha (Grenache) from the Campo de Borja appelation.
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Dec. '09 Spanish
This month, we're trying two wines I discovered on my recent trip to Spain with Olé Imports, both from Rioja, and both made by superstar winemaker David Sampedro. David is stand-out among the many young & talented winemakers currently driving the Spanish wine scene.
Ole Imports, run by two young guys, are geniuses at flushing out the next great wines, winemakers and wineries.
The 2007 Traza GRA2 Sin-Ley is 100% Graciano, normally a blending grape occasionally making an appearance in wines from Rioja. Purple-colored, it offers a room-filling nose of spice box, earth notes, black raspberry, and black cherry. This leads to a dense, structured wine with layers of ripe, savory fruit, a lengthy finish, and 2-3 years of aging potential. Like all of the wines in the Sin-Ley series, it was fermented and aged in stainless steel. Spicy on the palate with enough structure to evolve for two years, this tasty effort can be enjoyed through 2014.
Calma is a new project for Sampedro, 90% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano, all from select vineyards in Rioja Alavesa. This is one of the finest values I have ever tasted in Rioja! Layers of flavors and an elegant texture lead to a balanced finish that is softened by oak.
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Spanish Club November 09
This month, we return to Priorat to present one of my favorite wines - 2006 Clos Erasmus Laurel Priorat, the second bottling from Clos Erasmus.
 Although this wine is technically a second bottling, I'd put it up against most Priorat producers first bottlings in a blind test. It has the striking minerality that Priorat is famous for, gobs of black fruit flavors, amazing complexity and length.
Clos Erasmus was begun with the purchase of some old vines of Garnacha by Daphne Glorian, who happened to be in the area visiting some friends. What started as a fun project in 1990 soon became a very serious endeavor as Priorat rapidly ascended to world-class wine status. Clos Erasmus is now considered a benchmark of the region and has the first wine recently received consecutive 100 Point scores from the Wine Advocate (2004 & 2005), the only wine of Spain to ever achieve such critical accolades.
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October Spanish Club
This month, we have a floral Godello and a Priorat laden with fruit and minerality.
 Castelo do Papa Godello When I visited Spain in May, I fell in love with this Godello - bright floral aromas, medium weight and long finish. Robert Parker gave this old vine wine 90 points and raved: "The 2008 Castelo do Papa is 100% Godello from estate-owned vineyards fermented with native yeasts and raised in stainless steel. Medium straw-colored with plenty of glycerin oozing down the glass, it reveals an alluring nose of mineral/slate, white peach, lime, and melon. Crisp and vibrant on the palate, it has exceptional volume in the mouth and a long, fruit-filled finish. Drink it over the next three years."
 Roquers de Porrera Marge Priorat A few years ago, my supplier was able to get me a six pack of this amazing wine. It was very well priced for a Priorat ($32) , sustainably farmed, brimming with fruit, and had an incredible layer of minerality. Needless to say, staff bought it all before it hit the shelves. I vowed to get more, and was able to score enough for the club with the 2007 vintage.
"The 2007 Marge is the entry level wine from Raimon Castellvi, owner and winemaker of Roquers de Porrera. Marge is the local name for the stone walls made of slate taken from the Priorat vineyards. It is a blend of 60% Garnacha, 14% Syrah, 13% Merlot, and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon aged for eight months in French and American oak.
The wine is a glass-coating opaque purple with legs that ooze down the glass. The brooding nose reveals crushed stone, spice box, violets, tar, black cherry, and blueberry. This is followed by a dense, rich, structured Priorat with 1-2 years of aging potential. Drink it through 2017." 90 points, Robert Parker.
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