I have been raving for months about the wines of Raul Perez - the wild eyed winemaker from northwestern Spain who makes precise, amazing wines from native varietals. 

His wines are made in miniscule quantities and even less makes it to this country.   We are fortunate to have a good supply of his wines - beyond even what we are presenting to the club this month (so if you are interested in his other wines, let me know).

You have a choice of one of the following (you can buy more than one if you wish), made from native grapes Bastardo, Mencia, and Prieto Pecudo.

2006 Quinta da Moradella Gorvia Bastardo - The  Bastardo spent 14 months in French oak. It is medium
ruby-colored with kinky aromas of underbrush, mineral, wild cherry and black raspberry. Elegant, velvety textured, and complex on the palate, this impeccably balanced wine will drink well for 6-8 years. Unfortunately, there is not much of this singular wine to go around.  96 points Parker $85/btl

2006 Quinta da Moradella Gorvia Tinto Sourced from the same vineyard, this wine is composed of 90% Mencia, 5% Bastardo, and 5% Caino Redondo aged for 14 months in French oak. This unique offering is exceptionally perfumed with aromas of rose petals, cherry blossom, raspberry, and spice box. Elegant and silky on the palate, it has a Pinot Noir-like texture, layers of sweet fruit, and vibrant acidity. 2005 rated 92 points '06 not yet rated Parker $54/btl

Quinta da Muradella is where star vigneron Raul Perez makes his A Trabe wines. Grapes from this vineyard were once used to make Grappa but now serve a more noble purpose. A mere 1.2 hectares in size, the vineyard is now biodynamically farmed. 

2007 Raul Perez Prieto Pecudo is perhaps the most unique (and difficult to describe) of the Raul Perez wines is the 2007 Prieto Picudo sourced from 100-year-old vines and aged for 17 months in French oak. Opaque purple-colored, it has a mind-boggling, sexy bouquet of mineral, truffle, incense, kinky wild blackberry, and black raspberry, Firm on the palate, it is already complex, with silky-textured black fruits, succulent flavors, and a 60-second finish. There is no track record of how it might evolve but its impeccable balance suggests that 6-8 years (or longer) is well within reason. 96 points Parker, $87/btl

Duck in Brandy Sauce with Mushrooms and Truffles. Serves 4

I recently came across this recipe and thought it would be a perfect for this months club. The dish goes back to 1960s Spain, where it was served by Swiss chefs Otto and Urs Müller at El Bulli, the beachside shack in the coastal town of Roses they transformed into a legendary Michelin-starred restaurant.

1 1⁄4 cups Spanish brandy
1 can of truffle juice (4 ounces)*
1 2-lb. whole magret duck breast, cut lengthwise into 2 halves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
20 button mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and thinly sliced
1 3⁄4-oz. preserved black truffle, drained and very thinly sliced*
2 1⁄2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons truffle butter*
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Put brandy and truffle juice into a deep glass or ceramic dish, add duck, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 8 hours.
Preheat oven to 400°.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Remove duck from marinade, reserving marinade, and pat dry. Using a sharp knife, score duck skin in a crosshatch pattern. Season duck all over with salt and pepper, then cook in hot skillet, skin side down, until skin is golden brown, 8 - 12 minutes. Turn duck and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer duck, skin side up, to a shallow baking dish and set skillet aside. Roast duck for 3–4 minutes for rare. Remove duck from oven, loosely cover with foil, and set aside.
Pour off all but 5 tbsp. of the rendered duck fat from skillet and return skillet to medium-high heat. Add mushrooms to skillet and cook until golden, 8–10 minutes. Stir in reserved marinade and add truffles. Carefully ignite marinade with a kitchen match and allow flame to burn for 1 minute, then add stock. Increase heat to high and cook, stirring often, until sauce thickens, 20–25 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and whisk in truffle butter.
Divide mushrooms and sauce among four warm plates. Slice duck, divide evenly among the plates and garnish with parsley.

* fresh, canned and other specialty truffle products are available at some specialty stores or online at urbanitrufflesonline.com.

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