Remelluri: Rioja’s First Chateau Style Winery

Remelluri: Rioja’s First Chateau Style Winery

July 16, 2009

Visiting Granja Nuestra Senora de Remelluri in Rioja was like strolling the grounds of an immaculate Tuscan villa. Italian cypress trees and beds of lavender line the driveway; ancient fig and olive trees surround the vineyards. Roses and wisteria climb a profusion of trellises; only a nearby castle reminds you that you’re in Spain. A sense of serenity and peace pervade the grounds, a legacy perhaps from the monks of the Monastery of Tolono who made wine here in the 15th century. At the end of the 18th century, some of these vineyards were in the hands of Manuel Quintano, the cleric who introduced the wine-making methods of the Medoc to Spain to produce the first Spanish red wines aged in the cask. In the 1960’s, the Granja was purchased by its current owners, Jaime and Amaya Rodrogiuez Salis who dedicated themselves to bringing the vineyards back to their former glory, replanting with local varieties of Tempranillo, Mazuelo, Graciano and Viura grapes and building the current bodega on the ruins of the old monastic buildings. Jaime and Amaya’s rock star winemaker son, Telmo Rodriguez cut his oenological teeth here and now has his own projects in several regions of Spain.

The vineyards are located at the foot of the Tolono mountains, at an elevation of up to 800 meters. The soil is poor, and extreme temperature fluctuations between night and day from August to the end of October make maturation slow and produce grapes of superb quality. North winds lower the risk of pests resulting from humidity. Vineyards are tended sustainably but are not certified organic. Remelluri’s goal is to obtain healthy, ripe, concentrated, low-yield grapes. They do not irrigate. They select and graft their own plants. They do not use herbicides, systemic products or chemical fertilizers. Only organic compost and manure are used, with traditional methods such as copper, sulphur and chalk as preventive treatments. One of the vineyards was planted in 1875, before the arrival of phylloxera.

THE SINGLE ESTATE WINES OF REMELLURI

Malolactic fermentation takes place for one month in large French tinas which are more than 100 years old. The estate has 80 plots with 256 microclimates, which are vinified separately. After rackings and tastings, the tinas with the best wine are selected to make Remelluri and blended. The blend is placed into small oak barricas for aging from 12 to 15 months, followed by a couple of years of bottle aging. Remelluri’s first vintage was 1971.

 

2004 Remelluri Rioja Tinto ($34.99) We tasted this at the winery and were blown away by the luscious fruit and full body with notes of white pepper. This powerful Rioja will keep improving over the next 4 to 5 years. “Captivating aromas of cherry, cured meat, tobacco and licorice. Lush and juicy, with fresh red and dark fruit flavors, silky tannins and slow-mounting herbal qualities. Turns sweeter on the finish, with sexy oak spices lingering seductively. This is really delicious and already complex enough to enjoy in the near term.” 93 points Stephen Tanzer

Wednesday’s New York Times wrote a fascinating, in-depth article about the wines of Ribera Sacra made from the mencia grape. A little-known region in Galicia, it is characterized by slate soils, terraced hillsides and silky wines with a wealth of minerality, sometimes reminiscent of Burgandy. We have two wines mentioned in the article: D. Ventura 2006 Vina Caneiro ($25.99) and 2007 Alodio ($17.99). To read the article, follow this link:

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/07/14/dining/20090715-pourSUB-slideshow_index.html?ref=dining

PICNIC WINES FOR HOT WEATHER

2007 Basa, Rueda ($11.99) A snappy blend of Verdejo, Viura and a splash of Sauvignon Blanc give this white wine a hint of fresh grassiness. Rich flavors of white plum, peach and grapefruit abound. Versatile enough to pair with cheese or spicy Asian foods, it is absolutely refreshing on a hot day.

2007 Dom Martinho rose, Estremoz ($8.99) Rothschild-Lafite acquired this estate in 1992 and since has brought the vineyards back to immaculate condition, as only the Rothschilds can do. Dom Martinho rose is fresh and clean, with vibrant strawberry-raspberry flavors. With great acidity and hints of mineral, this is an all around versatile, refreshing wine to pair with grilled seafood or just for sipping.

2008 Commanderie de la Bargemone Rose, Aix en Provence ($15.99) When Muga rosado, our favorite light rose from Spain sold out in a matter of weeks – just as summer was kicking in – we found the closest substitute, which happened to be from southern France. Light salmon colored, it has wild strawberry and nectarine flavors. Juicy, crisp and refreshing – what could be more perfect on a hot day? 89 points Stephen Tanzer

2007 Paso A Paso Tempranillo, La Mancha ($9.99) “Vivid purple. Complex aromas of cherry, anise, cracked pepper and pungent herbs; not many $10.00 wines have this much going on. Rich cherry and dark berry flavors are modestly concentrated but strikingly pure, showing impressive mineral snap. Leaves sweet blueberry and and candied licorice notes behind on the long, sappy finish.” 89 points Josh Reynolds, IWC

2007 Dehesa Gago, Toro ($17.99) Both Basa and Dehesa Gago are produced by winemaker Telmo Rodriguez, who grew up on the Remelluri estate. Consistently, the Dehesa Gago delivers ripe fruit, structure and elegance. ” Bright medium red. Spicy redcurrant and cherry aromas are complicated by fresh flowers and minerals. Light and juicy, offering refreshing raspberry and blackberry flavors and very good mineral lift. There’s a pinot-like elegance here that I find extremely appealing. Finishes brisk and persistent.” 90 points Stephen Tanzer

 

NEW ARRIVALS THIS WEEK

Our container from Spain arrived on Wednesday containing Stuffed Olives and paella making cookware:

Carbon steel, Enameled, and Stainless Steel Paelleras in various sizes are back in stock.

Butanos for cooking paella outdoors – All sizes are back in stock!

Round Iron Fire rings: Cook your paella on one of these rings over a fire in the backyard or at the beach.

Montegrato Stuffed Manzanilla Olives – Choose from 6 different stuffings

Salmon stuffed, Tuna stuffed, Blue Cheese, Feta, Shrimp, and Anchovy stuffed.

 

FLAMENCO PERFORMANCES

Saturday July 18 Live Flamenco at Casablanca Restaurant and Lounge, 113 Virginia Street, Seattle 206-448-3590 Guitar: Tyson Hussey, Vocals/dance: Esther Marion, Dance: Savannah Fuentes, Veronica Barrera 8:30 pm & 10:00 pm Tickets: www.brownpapertickets.com

Saturday July 25th Carmona Flamenco 8:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. $20.00 cover, no reservaqtions, Solstice Cafe, 4116 University Ave. N.E. More information at (206) 932-4067 or marcos@fanw.org

 

Enjoy the summer weather and hope to see you soon!

 

Sincerely,

 

Sharon Baden and Steve Winston, Owners

Spanish Table

Tour de Tiendas

We are just back from a Tour de Tiendas, visiting our stores in Santa Fe and San Francisco.  Sunny weather welcomed us everywhere and it felt sooo great.
At 7000 feet, the high desert air of Santa Fe was crisp and invigorating.  Always captivated by this city’s mix of Spanish, Native American and Mexican history and the natural beauty of the landscape, we’re also addicted to the New Mexican red and green chiles.   Our manager, Karen Squires, hosted the whole staff for an awesome New Mexican potluck.  Carne adovado marinated and slow cooked in red chile sauce made by chef and employee, Adrian Perez with peppers from his own garden. Red and green New Mexican style tamales, posole, pinto beans and chicos rounded out the menu.  Dessert was sweet tamales filled with native pine nuts, raisins and local honey.
We loved the food at La Boca, Chef James Campbell Caruso’s tapas restaurant.  Former chef at El Farol, he wrote the cookbook that we still recommend to customers looking for a contemporary interpretation of tapas.  James is a customer of The Spanish Table and his menu reflects several of our new products, many with a Moroccan influence.  But our favorite tapa was all Spanish: Asparagus spears dressed with Casa Pons White Truffle Olive Oil, dusted with Matiz Smoked Sea Salt and topped with shavings of aged manchego cheese. 
WINES WE TASTED ON OUR TRIP:                 
The Alto Moncayo Veraton (Campo de Borja) $23.99 paired wonderfully with our picante New Mexican potluck.  Its spicy and ripe red fruit with a deep mineral and white pepper finish was absolutely delicious.    Limited quantities available    91 points Stephen Tanzer           
We sampled wines by the glass at La Boca, pairing them with rich flavors of James’ tapas. 
Portuguese wine 2001 Ardosino Douro ($15.99) was fantastic with grilled artichoke hearts and goat cheese.   Ardosino has an earthy minerality with flavors of currant, real elegance and bright acidity that makes it a great combination with any grilled foods.
2003 Loriñon Rioja Reserva ($18.99) was terrific with spicy lamb meatballs in yogurt-mint sauce.  From a less than stellar vintage, the 2003 Loriñon sings with red cherry, black tea and sweet spice notes integrated with a toasty balsamic finish.   Delicious!
ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE:   50 under $10:
These are frugal times and after a lot of tasting, we have selected 50 wines under $10 that will allow you to enjoy life without breaking your budget.  Stop by, pick out a dozen of them and get a 10% case discount.  That brings you price down to only $9 a bottle!
NEW VALUE WINES THIS WEEK:
2007 Garnacha de Fuego Old Vines (Calatayud) $7.99   Big and powerful, the grapes for this wine are grown in a desolate, arid area which produces ripe and concentrated fruit.   With intense aromas of sweet cherries and dark plums, Garnacha de Fuego has considerable depth and finesse.  With an exotic spicy finish reminiscent of white pepper, it is great with taco truck fare.
2007 Casa Gualda Tempranillo (La Mancha) $8.99 Think fruity pie cherry with an earthy minerality.  Smoky and low in acidity, Casa Gualda is easy drinking and great for the pocketbook!
SHERRY ARTICLE
Here at The Spanish Table, our appreciation of unique Sherries is evident by our selection – the largest outside of Spain.  Vastly underappreciated, and one of wine’s greatest values (how many wines are available for $45.00 that have been barrel aged for at least 20 years?), sherry is finally getting its due.  If you’d like to learn more about sherry, check out the recent comprehensive article from the San Francisco Chronicle:  http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/15/WINR159ONQ.DTL&hw=gonzalez+byass+alfonso&sn=001&sc=1000
 
INGREDIENTS: In Jan 11th The New York Times travel section, Paula Wolfert singled out Moroccan cumin as something she brings back in her suitcase.  Luckily, it is easy to get just by visiting The Spanish Table, thanks to Mustapha Haddouch who buys his directly from the farmer in Morocco.  He also deals directly with the farmer for his saffron.
TWO CHEESES SPECIALS: We were able to make a special purchase on these two cheeses:
Veigadarte   Sometimes referred to as Humbolt Fog on Steroids, Veigadarte is rolled in oak ash and covered by a thick bloomy white rind. Beautiful on a cheese platter with its black and white outline and soft texture, this artisanal cheese uses the milk of two different goat breeds.  With a high butterfat content and the characteristic tang of a goat’s milk, it is distinctive and delicious.  Was: $7.00; Now $5.75/quarter lb.
Drap Made of 100% cow’s milk, Drap has all of its characteristic butteriness with the herbaceous nuances of a goats milk cheese.   Was 9.00/quarter lb; Now 5.75/quarter lb.
TWO NEW CHEESES:
Cantell Goat Cheese  This compact, crumbly and granular goat cheese is aged roughly 4 months. Its fully developed, complex flavor has hints of dry fruits with a herbaceous tangy finish. This rare goat cheese from Catalonia is one of the finest cheeses made by Nevat cheese maker, Joseph. We are offering this cheese only for a limited time.  Now $9.99/quarter lb.
Idiazabal  This unpasteurized sheep’s’ milk cheese is the absolute best Idiazabal on the market. Traditionally, Basque shepherds lived in small mountain huts and due to lack of space, stored and aged their cheese inside stone chimneys. Lana, producer of this Gran Reserva Idiazabal maintain these cheese making traditions, and it reveals itself with wonderfully buttery, lightly smoked, aromatic and tangy flavors. Now $6.50/quarter lb.

Christmas in London

CHRISTMAS IN LONDON:  Two of The Spanish Table alumni have relocated to merry olde England. Libby managed the Seattle store, then opened our Berkeley store in 2001, and is now attending graduate school in London.  Megan Keister has relocated to Expedia’s London office. They both are looking forward to a Dickens of a Christmas!
GREAT GIFTS; SUPER STOCKING STUFFERS:  Here at The Spanish Table, we’re loaded with gifts and stocking stuffers that are practical and useful.  A dozen new cookbooks with recipes from places as diverse as Spain’s El Bulli to the villages of Turkey.  Black cazuelas and bean pots.  Olive wood bowls and spatulas. 2009 Calendars.  Plus a full range of tagines both for cooking and serving the exotic dish we fell in love with during our visit to Morocco last May as well as the flavorful, aromatic spices that bring the Kasbah home.
FOOD PRODUCTS: For the holiday host and hostess, we have cured meats and gourmet cheese and an unmatched selection of Spanish, Portuguese and Argentine wines as well as ports Sherries and Madeiras in a full range of prices to fill any entertainment or gift needs.
CHOCOLATE COVERED ALFAJORES!  Argentina’s Dulce de Leche filled treats!
PECES BRAND FIGURITAS DE MAZAPÁN: Direct from Consuegra (Toledo) Spain.
CATALAN OLIVES:  Bold and spicy Catalan green olives. These large green olives have semi-soft flesh and are marinated in celery, garlic, curry and hot pepper. Those of you that like it picante will enjoy these olives for sure!
LOMO FROM SPAIN: We now stock Palacios brand Lomo Embuchado!  Made in La Rioja, the cured pork tenderloin is seasoned with garlic, smoky pimentón, and sea salt. Slice and serve, or make a simple sandwich with an olive oil-brushed baguette and slices of young Manchego.
O DE OLIVA: Varietal olive oils from three of Spain’s great olives.  Choose from sweet Cuquillo, fruity Hojiblanca or bold, bitter Picual.  Experience the difference!
NUTELLA, COCOKREM OR NOCILLA?  My niece and I discovered Nutella last year when we were riding horses in Ireland.  Each afternoon we’d treat ourselves to biscuits topped with the delightful hazelnut-chocolate spread and now it’s my daily habit!  Cokokrem from Turkey is thicker with more chocolate flavor.  My favorite is still the Nocilla from Spain.  Rich and creamy, its dense chocolate will satisfy any chocoholic.
Our CHEESE CASE is burgeoning with many, many delectable cheeses!  Here are a few selections and recommendations for combining them into a cheese platter.
TORTA DEL CASAR from Extremadura is one of Spain’s most famous cheeses.  Rich and buttery, this raw sheep’s milk, washed-rind cheese takes 20 sheep milked twice daily to create just one wheel of cheese. Serve by cutting off the top and spooning out the delightfully oozy center.   Due to its delicate nature, it is sold only as a full wheel.
MAHON ARTISANAL: The famous cheesemonger, Stephen Jenkins, is quoted as saying, “Mahon: what Gouda wished it could be.” Mahon Artisanal is the raw milk version of this cheese–rarely brought to the U.S.! This cow’s milk cheese from Menorca has a golden orange rind with a sharp, salty, buttery, interior. Mahon can hold its own with many of Spain’s sheep and goat milk cheeses, and is my #1 recommendation for pairing on a cheese platter. 
SUGGESTED CHEESE AND PATE PLATTERS:
Catalan Platter:  Drap, Ros, Montcabrer, Nevat
Portuguese Platter:  Dom Villas, Queijo Amarelo, Queijo Cabra Quinta
Basque Platter:  Montcayol, Kaikou, Le Bleu de Basque, Idiazabal                       
Artisanal Platter:  Mahon Artisanal, Roncal, Monte Enebro, Peña Corado
Pate Platter: Truffle Mousse, Coarse Campangne with cornichons and dry cured black.olives.
NEW WINES THIS WEEK:
We have too many wonderful wines under $15 (even under $10) to enumerate them here but if you are having a party, we can put a great wine in your guest’s hands with busting your budget.
2007 Tres Picos Garnacha, Campo de Borja $15.99 New vintage!   Just off the boat and already drinking better than the 2006, this is a rich and balanced garnacha.   Produced from low yielding vineyards, Tres Picos has concentrated flavors of blackberries and strawberries with notes of black pepper, vanilla and plums.   90 points Stephen Tanzer
2005 Pago Florentino, La Mancha $19.99 100% Cencibel (called Tempranillo in other parts of Spain), this is a staff favorite.   Lavishly oaked and teeming with ripe black fruit, this is an unctuous and modern wine.   Full bodied with notes of smoke and balanced with fine acidity and a long spicy finish, this is all around a delicious wine.  
2006 Alto Moncayo Veraton Campo De Borja $23.99 Veraton arrived a week ago and we scooped up 18 bottles before the distributor sold out.  “Very spicy on the nose, which displays blackberry, blueberry, white pepper and cinnamon qualities.  Sappy dark berry flavors combine intensity with depth, picking up candied licorice with air.   … This went through several changes in the glass and is utterly delicious now.”   91 points Stephen Tanzer                 
2006 Alto Moncayo Campo De Borja $42.00 12 bottles available “Impressively complex, seductive bouquet of dark berry preserves, tobacco, graphite, and smoky Indian spices.  Pliant black raspberry and candied cherry flavors are enlivened by zesty minerals and firmed by fine-grained tannins.  An exotic floral pastille quality emerges with air and carries into the finish, which is strikingly sweet, lively and persistent.”  93 points Stephen Tanzer
2005 Alvaro Palacios Les Terrasses Priorat ($38.00) “A more affordable introduction to his intense, elegant style.”   90 points Wine Spectator
COLLECTOR’S CORNER
2000 Marques de Murrieta Ygay Gran Reserva Especial Rioja $57.00 “Offers up an enticing perfume of cedar, pencil lead, earth notes and black fruits… a supple textured, layered wine with ample black cherry.” 93 points Wine & Spirits, 90 points Robert Parker2005 Bodegas y Vinas Dos Victorias Gran Elias Mora Toro $83.00 “Has an iron grip now, but there’s impressive concentration.  Shows rich cassis, coffee, anise and tar notes.”   2 bottles available   95 points Wine Spectator
2005 Bodegas y Vinas Dos Victorias Elias Mora Crianza Toro  $40.00 “Best value which shows a core of cassis, currant and espresso flavors.”  93 points Wine Spectator
2004 Bodegas y Vinedos Maurodos San Roman Toro ($57.00) “Alluring plum, blackberry, cola and spice cake flavors are rich and balanced in this expressive red…”  94 points Wine Spectator  One of Wine Spectator’s Top 15 Spanish Wines of 2008
WARRES VINTAGE PORTS:   We’ve just received a limited number of these ports:
1980 Vintage $109.00 “A solid port from an unsung vintage.”
1985 Vintage $112.00 “… Grape, chocolate and plum.  Full and chewy.”  91 points Wine Spectator
1991 Vintage $90.00 “Raisiny and very sweet, with plum and prune flavors.”  90 points Wine Spectator
1994 Vintage $103.00 …”fabulous concentration and complex character.  Full bodied, with velvety tannins… Beautiful wine.  Best after 2008.”   95 points Wine Spectator
RESTAURANT NEWS:  We were thrilled when highly regarded Spanish restaurant Taberna del Alabardero opened yesterday in the former Cascadia location on First Avenue in Belltown.  We noshed on a fantastic array of tapas at their Sevilla location a few years ago and will be checking out their Seattle location very, very soon!  Their Washington D.C. location was named the “best Spanish restaurant outside of Spain.”  Purple Wine Bar’s newest venture, Barrio is now open on 12th, near Pike.  Modern Mexican in a space saturated in ambience, terrific food at wallet-friendly prices and a great wine list.