Wines of Spain
Reservations Closed
| Course | Pairing / Description | Wine |
|---|---|---|
| Hors D' Oeuvres |
Pepper Bacon Wrapped Chicken & Chorizo Brochettas (Garlic, Blistered Padron Pepper and Local Honey BBQ Sauce)
Crispy Potatas Bravas (Tangy Spanish Smoked Paprika Aioli and Chopped Parsley)
In the late 1980’s, there were only five wineries producing Albariño. Jorge Ordoñez was the very first exporter of Albariño to the United States. Despite the fact that the vineyards are on the same latitude as the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the climate is more moderate due to the influence of the Gulf Stream, which travels in a north-south direction, parallel to the coast of Rias Baixas. The different cuvées of Albariño from Bodegas La Caña include the 2015 Albariño, which is 100% Albariño aged eight months sur lie with one-fourth of it in large neutral oak and the balance in stainless-steel tanks. It is a large cuvée of 12,000 cases and the wine is an excellent value. Coming from the northern part of the appellation, the wine has good texture, lots of wet, stony minerality, crisp acids, fresh and delicate apricot and honey notes, with spring flowers in the background. |
La Cana Albariño 2015
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| Soup Course |
Ham, Garbanzo Bean & Root Vegetable Stew (Slow Simmered with Tomato-Cilantro Salsa and Crema)
Alto Moncayo is a 100% old vine Grenache cuvée (900-1,000 cases produced depending on the vintage) that is a joint project between Jorge Ordoñez and Barossa winemaker, Chris Ringland. Five generations of vignerons have farmed over 210 acres of primarily old vine Grenache at Alto Moncayo, a wine that is produced from incredibly low yields of 500 grams of grape bunches per vine. There are never more than six to eight bunches on these ancient head-pruned Grenache vines. Most of the Moncayo wines tend to sell for higher prices, but the 2014 Alto Moncayo Veraton is their least expensive cuvée. It was aged in 60% new French oak and 40% American oak barrels for 16 months prior to bottling without filtration. This is a 1,500-case cuvée that is pedal-to-the-metal material, as one might expect from Ringland. With an opaque ruby/purple color, beautiful blackberry, charcoal and oaky notes are followed by a modern-style wine with huge fruit, big body, sweet tannin and a long finish. Drink it over the next 5-6 years. |
Alto Moncayo Red Veraton 2014
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| Seafood Course |
Spanish Style Garlic Colossal Shrimp (Yellow Rice, Catalonia Coast Inspired Piquillo Pepper-Almond Pistou with Grilled Asparagus)
The word Triga is an ancient Roman term for a horse chariot team of three, just as Quadriga refers to a team of four and Biga to a team of two. Today, Triga refers to the three fossilized limestone mountain ranges that surround the vineyards and influence and shape this extraordinary wine: Las Sierras de Salinas, Sierra de la Sima, and la Sierra de Umbria. This southeastern corner of Spain is the historic home of the Monastrell grape variety, which was transplanted around the Mediterranean and its more productive clones, known as mourvedre, became world famous. The 2013 Triga is a blend of head-pruned Monastrell with some Cabernet Sauvignon from chalk-rich soils fermented in open stainless-steel vats and aged in barrique for 20 months. You can feel the warmth and ripeness of the year in the aromas of prunes, blackberries, thyme and rosemary accented with plenty of sweet spices and smoky notes from the barrel that might need a little bit more time in bottle. The palate is full-bodied, with powerful tannins lifted by the alcohol on a warm finish. |
Triga Monastrell/Cabernet Blend 2013
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| Game Course |
Saffron, Cumin, Tomato & Garlic Braised Lamb Shank (Pan Reduction with Evoo and Pink Salt Toasted Kale Chips)
Volver Single Vineyard, the finest wine produced in La Mancha, is the result of expressing the unique terroir of Finca Los Juncares, an old Tempranillo vineyard planted in some of the poorest soils in Spain. These soils are amongst the poorest that can be used for viticultural purposes. The only other plants that can grow in these conditions are traditional Spanish purple garlic, and the wild pine groves that grow amongst the vineyard. Jorge Ordóñez and his partner, Rafael Cañizares knew they wanted to make a flagship wine from this unique vineyard when they discovered it. The 2014 Volver comes from a parcel of vines planted in 1957. It is 100% Tempranillo aged 15 months in French oak and bottled unfiltered. It is a relatively small cuvée of 3,000 cases, but it’s a stunning wine, with notes of unsmoked cigar tobacco, licorice and black currants. This opaque purple-colored wine has a full-body, showing toasty notes intermixed with blackberry and cassis. It’s a beauty – an internationally styled, modern version of Tempranillo to drink over the next 5-6 years. |
Volver Tempranillo 2014
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| Dessert Course |
Authentic Tres Leche Cake (Buttery Cake Soaked with Trio Of Milks with Sea Salt Roasted Cashew and Brown Butter Caramel and Fresh Seasonal Berries)
The 2012 Marques De Gelida Brut Gran Reserva comes from slightly older vines and a higher elevation of the vineyard. This Brut spent 40 months on its lees prior to being disgorged. The final blend encompasses five grapes: 20% Xarel-lo, 25% Macabeo, 20% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir and 15% Paralleda. This Brut shows notes of fresh apple skins, white currants, grapefruit and other assorted citrus in a fresh, dry, light-bodied and amazingly pure style. |
Marques De Gelida Brut Gran Reserva 2012
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| Chip Wine |
The most classic cuvée was not produced in 2007 or 2008, but 2009 brings us the phenomenal Prado Enea. It was produced with grapes from cooler vineyards that enjoyed 20 extra days of slow ripening compared with warmer zones, which provided them with perfect ripeness and deep flavors. This blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha and the remaining 10% between Mazuelo and Graciano had an extended élevage, in this case no less than three years (alternating newer and older barrels). The wine has 14.1% alcohol and a surprising 3.34 pH, especially considering 2009 was generally a warm and ripe year. But somehow this cuvée seems to work very well in ripe vintages. The wine feels even younger on the palate and it still needs to develop some further complexity and the silky texture for which this wine is famous. There is good balance here and all the elements are in place for a nice development in bottle. In fact, it feels like one of the great recent vintages of Prado Enea. There will be no Prado Enea in 2012 and 2013 either, but it was produced in 2010, 2014 (small quantities) and 2015. |
Muga Prado Enea Gran Reserva 2009
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