Belated Alimentaria follow-up 1

OK, as promised, this my round-up of my visit to Alimentaria, albeit more than a week late. As my visit was on the morning of March 9, what you will read here is what has survived in my short-term memory; any errors in technical information are no one's fault but my own.

My first tasting of the day was at Viña Tondonia, a producers of a highly traditional style of subtle and fully mature Rioja wines; refined elegance to start off the day.

I next ran into good friend Paulino Vinuesa, now European Executive Director for Anta Bodegas in Ribero del Duero, who led me through a tasting of the new wineries three current offerings. I was most impressed with Anta Selección 2003, composed of mainly Tempranillo, plus 15% Merlot and 10% Cabernet and aged for 16 months in a 90/10 assortment of French and American oak. An outstanding wine.

Next I met with Alejandro Ascaso of Bodegas Edra, who was presenting their excellent wine with the eye-catching label. The winery is planning the release of their second wine, which will be a Syrah from 2004, which should be available in the last half of this year. I'll be looking forward to that!

Following this I met with Joan Ramon Mañé, Comercial and Marketing Director for Mas Perinet, a true remarkable winery project well under way in both the Priorat D.O.Q. and Montsant D.O. These two neighboring regions in southern Catalunya which are home to rugged, terraced hillsides rich in slate, known locally as llicorella and a nearly one thousand year old tradition of viticulture.

The 32 hectares of Priorat vines of Mas Perinet are situated in the northwest corner of Priorat at an average elevation of 500 meters above sea level. Its one of the wetter zones of the region and is accesible to winds from the sea, helping contribute to a wide gap in summer day and nght temperatures, which is favorable to quality grape cultivation. The vines are relatively young at 5 to 7 years, but in a radical effort, before the vines were planted the slate hillsides of the winery were literally torn up and re-shaped into growing terraces. The intended result will be that the roots of the vines will drive deeper into the soil, with a greater capacity for reaching water and making the vines more robust. While already entering full production, the vines will likely hit their true peak in 2010.

The wines:
Mas Perinet 2003 is a blend of Carinyera, Garnatxa in larger measure, plus lesser amounts of Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah. It was aged for 15 months in new French oak in 300 and 325 liter barrels. I found it to be a powerful wine, with lots of character that could pair well with slightly spicier foods. Given that the vines are so relatively young means that the succeeding vintages should be even more remarkable.

Clos Maria 2004 (Montsant D.O.) is a fresh white wine made from a majority of Garnatxa Blanca plus a good measure of Chenin and some Muscat. 70% of the wine produced was aged in French oak for 8 months and then recombined with the 30% held in stainless steel tanks. The result is a nice wood note underneath the crisp fruit.

This winery deserves to get the attention of wine drinkers everywhere.

Following this meeting, I stopped by to chat with friends at Codorniu. Things are looking up as Xavier Pagès has taken charge of the company. Word is that the Mike Kenton, native New Yorker and head of Codorniu's California winery, Artesa, has been brought in to run both domestic and international marketing. We could be seeing some jazzing up of Codorniu's elegant image.

Next I met with Ricard Rofes, which I wrote about in this post: Santbru 2004

End of Alimentaria follow-up Part 1