A Spanish Armada sets sail part I

Saturday, July 18th was the kick off at Hinton’s Wine Store annual customer appreciation week. This year marked the store’s 10th anniversary and Chris celebrated with his traditional week long mixed case sale of 20% off, along with the Legends of Wine tasting. The theme was Spain and there were a WHOPPING 28 wines to be tasted in a fun and unique format. Thanks to local distributor Prestige Wine and the Jorge Ordoñez portfolio, from which all these wines came.

First off, I will say that I really enjoy Hinton’s Wine Store. Chris (seen here in the tasting room) is an engaged owner and puts on many of the finest tastings available in the metro Atlanta area. His wine buyer Keith has a phenomenal palate, especially for those of you who want to navigate the brain bending vineways of Italy and France. The tastings are in the wine bar located adjacent to the store and typically consist of 5 to 6 wines poured from bottle by Ray and Wally, the lovely couple who run the tastings.

The format on this one was a departure, in that all 24 stations of the Enomatic were loaded with Spanish wines. You received a free card with $8.00 loaded on it and selected your 1 oz / $1 pours at leisure. The wines were arranged in a solid tasting order from lightest to heaviest. Everyone (with one possible exception) was really into trying a variety of the offerings and it was great to have a group (we had 10 people) where we could discuss what we were enjoying. The second part of the format were wines poured direct from bottle and these were labeled The Good Stuff, with 4 wines that ranged in price from $79.99 to $199.99. It isn’t very often one gets to taste such premium priced wines like these for free. NOTE: I’m a member of Hinton’s Connoisseur Club, which is $49 per household and is good for 2 years. It entitles you to attend almost every event for free, but there are some where you will pay, most often discounted to the general public. For those who aren’t members, the tastings are typically $15 per person, so no reason you shouldn’t join.

Since there are so many wines, I’m splitting this into two posts. I’ll cover 5 wines today and 5 tomorrow. Yes, I only tasted 10 of a possible 12 wines. One, I did cheat and double dip on one wine and then I missed out on 1 of the 4 The Good Stuff wines because I was slowed down by taking notes and soaking in the atmosphere. C’est la vie. Onto the wines.

2008 Botani Moscatel Secco $19.99

Chris suggested not skipping this one, since most folks went straight for the reds, myself included. The nose was lush and sweet smelling, with strong whiffs of pear, peach and a lightly honeyed floral character that made it alluring and an inspiration for any perfume maker. Once you take a sip, you’ll notice a soft mouth feel with ripe tropical and stone fruit flavors, but without a hint of residual sugar. Perfect for ceviches and shellfish.

2007 Atteca “Atteca” Old Vine Garnacha $15.99

Garnacha is what the Spanish call grenache, which is often a great alternative for those who like Pinot Noir, but don’t like the prices. They also tend to have a spicier character and as many have said before me, its like Pinot Noir on steroids. This one had loads of black raspberry and smoky plums in both aromatics and flavors. It had a solid backbone of sandy tannins and snappy acid, but I will say it needed to be aired out, as I found a small hole in the mid-palate where the typically juicy flavors came up slightly short of my expectations. I’ve always liked this in the past, but give this version an above average versus the usual outstanding it has yielded in previous vintages.

2006 Juan Gil Monastrell $14.99

For those who like more heft and are looking to add notches to their varietal belt, you should look to try a Monastrell / Mourvèdre / Mataró. This is another perrenial winner (as many of Jorge’s selections are) that is loaded with smoked meat, espresso, and spices cohabitating with dark black fruits. A wine like this demands hearty fare like coffee rubbed steak or mesquite smoked beef ribs. I really liked this and found it to be of above average, bordering on outstanding quality. It has a great label to boot and if you gave this as a gift to a Cabernet drinker, I think they would be impressed.

2005 Luzon Altos de Luzon Monastrell/Cabernet/Tempranillo $16.99

50% Monastrell, 25% Cabernet and 25% Tempranillo come together to yield this juicy, with red cherry and currants starting the parade and earthy spices coming in on the finish. This was another solid wine for the money, but I found it just slightly less favorable than the Juan Gil.

2004 Granja Nuestra Señora de Remelluri Rioja $24.99

This was my favorite new discovery, as being a former professional, I was familiar with the vast majority of the Ordoñez portfolio being offered. For those who prefer old world, traditional (less extraction, more deft touch with oak) style Rioja, this is an excellent bottle. If you aren’t familiar, this would also make an excellent place to pass Go. It had all the markers for the region, with plenty of leather, scorched earth and tobacco laid over red cherries. I think it is a little tight and tannic right now, but give it another 2 years or so and it will really get comfortable in its own skin and begin to really shine. Not cheap at $25, but still worthy of being called outstanding. Not quite WOTN, but a strong 3rd place.

Tune in tomorrow for part deux, where I’ll review my two favorite wines and all 3 of the heavyweights I was able to try. The results may or may not surprise you.