Two good, affordable Spanish wines
Over recent years I've focused a lot on Portugal, but not so much on Spain. It's something I may change: I'm tasting quite a lot of interesting Spanish wines of late, but in the past I had problems with the Spanish tendency to use too much oak. I don't like wines where oak is a key flavour signature. And I don't like over-ripe, jammy reds all that much either.
13.5% alcohol. Fresh, aromatic and grapey, with some depth and texture. A bit like a serious Alsace Muscat, I suppose. A really refreshing dry white with nice delicacy. Pure fruit is the signature here, with grapefruit and citrus as well as some Muscat-like richness. 88/100 (£9.95 BBR)
13.5% alcohol. A blend of Monastrell, Syrah, Cabernet, this shows that reds from relatively hot climates can still be fresh and balanced. It shows lovely fresh, pure, sweet berry and cherry fruit with a nice bright personality and some bright acidity. There’s some nice minerality and more than a hint of elegance to the very focused fruit. Lovely stuff, made by Rioja superstars Artadi. 89/100 (£8.95 BBR)
Labels: spain