Ode to Spain & Good Friends – Bodega Pago de Cirsus

In preparation for a vacation throughout central and northern Spain my vino-loving friends decided to introduce me to the wines of Pago de Cirsus from the region of Navarra. As luck would have it they had me at Navarra, a denomination of origin or region in central-northern Spain that I favor and neighbors the better-known Rioja. I hate to generalize, but I can honestly say that I have never had a bad wine from the Navarra area.

Thanks to the wines of Pago de Cirsus I am happy to report that my favorable opinion of wines from Navarra continues to grow.  We didn’t drink them all on the same night, not that there is anything wrong with that, but we had the pleasure of  discovering three of their different releases over a couple of different stay at home dinners. It pays to have wine-loving friends and neighbors.

Pago de Cirsus 2017 Chardonnay; hand harvested,  100% Chardonnay

This wine was an immediate hit and surprisingly my first true Chardonnay from Spain. Served with vegetarian / vegan hors d’oeuvres it disappeared quickly and left guests asking for more. This from non Chardonnay drinkers! Beautiful notes of rich tropical fruits; peach, pineapple with no oak detected.

The Chardonnay was actually the last of the three wines sampled and it was sampled on a different night altogether. For the reds, the evening was planned and a bit more organized. As soon as the guests arrived and settled [party of six] the notepads and writing utensils came out. I quickly realized that six different people taking notes in a very social setting was not going to work. Fate intervened and a volunteer note-taker for the group appeared. I will forever be grateful because thanks to this giving soul we have wine notes to review!

Pago de Cirsus 2014 Cuvee Especial;  45% Syrah, 40% Merlot, 17% Tempranillo. Fermented in French oak vats, and then 14 months in new French oak barrels,

With a great pedigree to start, unbeknownst to us,  this hand harvested red-blend was selected as the best Spanish red wine, at the 2014 Brussels World Competition, it did not disappoint.  Five out of the 6 tasters gave this wine high marks and thought it was representative of a more expensive bottle. Group notes: black pepper, mocha/chocolate, baking spices including clove, blackberry, fig, violet, leather, woodsy [cedar/oak]. Medium bodied.

Pago de Cirsus 2013 Seleccion de Familia; 85% Syrah, 15% Tempranillo.          Fermented in French oak vats, then 14 months in new French oak barrels. Aged three years.

This without a doubt was the favorite of the night with six of the six guests agreeing on its excellent quality. A wine to savor with time on your side. The additional aging of this higher end of our three samples  truly came through by adding character and richness. A great way to end our wine-tasting event. Group notes: tobacco, leather, black pepper, paprika, red fruits, smooth tannins, long finish. 

Although my recent trip to northern Spain and Portugal did not include the Navarra wine-region, I am happy to report that this not known by most area is still tops on my list. As are the wines of Pago de Cirsus which have across the board truly impressed.

So, as I fantasize about another trip to Spain, you better believe I will continue to search out wines by Bodegas Pago de Cirsus, vino from Navarra, and reasons to share with wine-loving friends.   ¡SALUD!

 

 

Top 10 Wines – 2014

TOP 10 Wines Picked by You

As 2014 comes to a speedy end it is time to let the Whine and Cheers readers decide what the TOP wines of the year were for them. With close to 40,000 hits it’s interesting to see which wines are being researched the most.

Even more compelling to me is where these searches are coming from. Listed below at the end of this post you’ll find the TOP 15 countries [out of 96!] where searches were initiated leading them to Whine and Cheers for Wine.  For those wondering; Republic of Tanzania came in at number 16!

As the drum-roll begins I have to admit that one post in particular wins the gold star for most hits all year-long. No matter the day, the week or the month, wine drinkers are intrigued and their attention peaked. The honor belongs to Australia’s 19 CRIMES Red Blend. Wonderfully marketed, its fan base continues to grow.

For this TOP 10 wine list it will be exactly that, wines not themes. But it is intriguing to note that Beer with;  My 12 Days of Beer Camp, along with Winemaker Visits  B.R. Cohn Visits Whole Foods and Wine Clubs;  Hit or Miss the Wall Street Journal Wine Club would have made the TOP 10 otherwise.   So here we go….

 The Whine and Cheers For Wine Top 10 of 2014 picked by the general wine researching public!

 

Guilty! 19 Crimes

The Luck of the Blends – The Dreaming Tree Crush by Steve Reeder & Dave Matthews

HANDS Cabernet Sauvignon – Robertson, South Africa 

THE SHOW Pinot Noir on the road – from Chile to California

Joel Gott Zinfandel – 2011 vs. 2009

APOTHIC RED – 2010 Winemakers Blend

Wine Discovery of the Week – DiamAndes 2012 Perlita Malbec-Syrah

SALDO –The Prisoner Wine Company

Chateau de Macard Bordeaux Superieur 2009

Tablao Red Wine Navarra 2012

with 2 others close behind:

Honig Napa 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon – My First Wine of 2014

Revisiting Trivento’s Amado Sur Red Blend

 

Just as with the different countries visiting our site I am glad to see a nice variety of wines and varietals represented on this TOP list: Argentina, Napa, California, Spain, Bordeaux, Chile, South Africa and Australia.

No real common denominator other than the fact they were all found here by you along with others from around the globe.  Our world being brought together one wine at a time….. ¡SALUD! 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canada
United Kingdom
Australia
Germany
France
Netherlands
Spain
India
Mexico
Hong Kong
Brazil
Japan
Ireland
Denmark
Italy

International Tempranillo Day – Tablao Wine

2012 Tablao – Red Wine

This Whole Foods Holiday Top 10 wine grabbed my attention this week. Perfectly timed for celebrating International Tempranillo Day which falls on November 14th this year.  

The first fact that caught my eye was the “Denominacion de Origen” of Navarra Spain. A region I quite honestly never heard of before, but quickly learned is located near the France border of northern Spain.

From the Wines of Navarra web-site:

Navarra is the name of both the autonomous region in northern Spain, and the very specifically limited wine zone of Navarra—today one of Spain’s most exciting quality wine regions.

The Navarra wine region lies between Rioja and the French border to the northeast. The foothills of the Pyrenees descend towards Navarra from the north and the Ebro River runs up from the south into Rioja to the west. Navarra’s capital, Pamplona, lies just north of the wine region. With its special location between Rioja and Bordeaux, it draws expertise and inspiration from both of these regions while retaining its own individual wine style.

English: Navarra Denominacion de Origen label, as found on the reverse of suitably qualified bottles. Shot with Nikon D70s (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Adding to the interest factor our in-store wine notes informed me that; Vines grown in the Navarra region of Spain are trained along trellises rather than in bushes, maximizing their exposure to the sun and resulting in grapes of intense flavor. A sight to behold I am sure and one I’d like to see in person someday.

Produced and bottled by Bodegas Pagos de Araiz this 2012 red wine blend is made up of 81% Tempranillo, 9% Garnacha, 8% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. In my case the luck of the blends has struck again. Deliciously fruity and well-balanced this red fruit forward wine falls into my category of “easy drinker”.  A great every day accompaniment to meals with meats, pasta, pizza, Spanish foods etc.

Tasting and pairing notes;

Juicy with ripe red raspberries. Complex hints of licorice and cherry round out the sublime, lingering finish. pairs well with: Seaside Cheddar, glazed ham, smoked brisket, veggie lasagna, enchiladas.

I was not planning on writing a Tempranillo Day post but the stars must have aligned and fate stepped in to bring this wine to me with such good timing.  And I’ve saved the best for last. The Tablao is presently priced at $7.99. Yes, a perfectly priced every day wine. I am now looking forward to stretching out this International Tempranillo Day through the weekend.  ¡SALUD!

From Wine Enthusiasts “Five Things You Didn’t Know About Tempranillo”:

1. It’s very, very old. Tempranillo is indigenous to Spain and dates back to before the time of Christ. It’s been grown on the Iberian Peninsula since the Phoenicians settled it in 1100 B.C.

2. It’s an early bird. Tempranillo is derived from the word temprano, which in Spanish means “early.” Among red varieties in Spain, it’s considered an early ripener.

3. It has many monikers. Tempranillo goes by more than a dozen different names around the world, depending on where it’s cultivated. It’s called Tinto Fino in Ribera del Duero, Tinta de Toro in Toro, Ull de Llebre in Catalonia, Cencibel in La Mancha and Tinto Roriz in Portugal.

4. It’s cloned. There are about 500 clones of Tempranillo in Spain alone; Tinto Fino and Tinta de Toro are the best-known.

5. It has a white mutant. Although rare, albino Tempranillo does exist in Rioja. It’s an approved wine grape; it yields a citrusy, rather simple wine akin to Viognier in weight, flavor and overall style.

Related articles

• Wine review: Grenache or garnacha (telegraph.co.uk)
• Ribera del Duero and Cigales, Castilla y León (vinotables.wordpress.com)
• Amelasio Tempranillo es una seductora (wine-blog.org)

Discovering a new wine grape; PARRALETA / Pico de Aneto 2010

Discovering a new wine grape; PARRALETA / Pico de Aneto 2010

Image via Wikipedia

The Parraleta grape is exclusive to one winery in a small region of northeastern Spain; Somontano, in the foothills of the Pyrenees. It is also exclusive to the Bodegas Pirineo winery and although I partook of the 2010 the 2009 was a big hit at the New Wave Spanish Wine Awards. The owners are a family originally from Jerez.

The  late ripening Parraleta is combined here with the early ripening Tempranillo famous for Spain’s Riojas. Together they produce a fruity and robust wine.

Pico de Aneto Tempranillo Parraleta 2010

Color; Purple/Bright red.

Lite viscosity.

High fruit forward; black cherry, plum, strawberry on the finish.

Price; approx. $12.00

We had ours with pan grilled chicken breast and brown rice with lentils. It was a good combination of flavors. I enjoyed this wine and my better half maybe even more so. It was also exciting to try this new to us varietal and it has a great price point too. Would I seek it out? Probably not but I would not refuse it either.  Salud!

Related articles

• Poco de Aneto (tomandmelodywine.com)
• Tempranillo Red Wine (winebookclub.org)