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THE WINE
My choice for this review is a classical Spanish wine – Rioja. The Rioja region is in Northern Spain, inland from Bilbao and South West of the Pyrenees and the border with France. Through its midst runs the River Ebro. The climate can swing between the extremes of very hot and ... Read review
Advantages: A superb all round full flavoured easy drinking red Disadvantages: Slips down a treat; why have one bottle when you could make do with two?
...Spanish wine – Rioja. The Rioja region is in Northern Spain, inland from Bilbao and South West of the Pyrenees and the border with France. Through its midst runs the River Ebro. The climate can swing between the extremes of very hot and dry summers with wet or frosty winters. The region is divided into three parts: Rioja Alta (to the west), Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Baja (the easterly portion)
The primary grape of this region is the ... ...on the N120 in the Rioja Alta not far from the town of Logroňo.
THE LABEL
The wine is housed in a dark green bottle. It is closed with a cork and sealed with a black "lead" capsule. The main label is white with gold lettering. It is an illustration of its village of origin in grey tones. The label includes the words “Denominacion de origin Calificada” (DOCa) which is Spain's most prestigious wine distinction. ... more
I do not drink a great quantity of wine but over the years I have come to realise what I like and what I don’t. Some of these choices are personal and obvious: Red or white? Sweet or dry? Sparkling? Other choices are personal and not so obvious: Vintage – does it matter? The grape? The country of origin? I do not claim to be a wine expert either and will not be tempted to emulate the Goulden-Clarke style rhetoric. However I have come across half a dozen wines that have lingered in my memory and small stocks of which now grace my cellar (Cellar? A cupboard in the garage you mean!). I propose to review my favourites over the course of the next few reviews.
These wines do share a common theme. They are red, medium priced, reasonably easily available, can be found gracing the wine list of a range of restaurants and are dependable across time and space. The bottom line is that when I order a bottle when out for a meal or when choosing an accompaniment for the Sunday roast there is a very good chance I will not be disappointed when I come to drink my wine.
THE WINE
My choice for this review is a classical Spanish wine – Rioja. The Rioja region is in Northern Spain, inland from Bilbao and South West of the Pyrenees and the border with France. Through its midst runs the River Ebro. The climate can swing between the extremes of very hot and dry summers with wet or frosty winters. The region is divided into three parts: Rioja Alta (to the west), Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Baja (the easterly portion)
The primary grape of this region is the Tempranillo – a dark red black fruit with small thin skinned berries. It is usually blended with other varieties such as Garnacha or with a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. Over recent decades, there has been a tendency for wine producing companies (the Bodegas) to grow their own grapes. The grapes are macerated, the juices fermented and the resultant young wine is transferred into oak barrels to mature and age. This process also promotes a secondary (“malolactate”) fermentation, adds tannin and flavours, softens the texture and clarifies the wine. The wood traditionally used comes from either America or France.
Spain has a formal classification which defines the minimum length of time the wine stays in the barrel prior to bottling. Joven: Sold the year after harvesting with no oak maturation Crianza: Wine aged for a minimum of two years after harvesting of which a minimum of twelve months is spent in oak. Reserva: Wine matured for at least three years with a minimum of one year in oak. Grand Reserva: Wine aged for five years with a minimum of two years in oak.
THE VINTNER
Bodegas Navajas is a family owned business based in Navarette, a village on the N120 in the Rioja Alta not far from the town of Logroňo.
THE LABEL
The wine is housed in a dark green bottle. It is closed with a cork and sealed with a black "lead" capsule. The main label is white with gold lettering. It is an illustration of its village of origin in grey tones. The label includes the words “Denominacion de origin Calificada” (DOCa) which is Spain's most prestigious wine distinction. The rear label has a Rioja authenticity mark, a hologram and a reference number.
The vintage under scrutiny is 1999. It has an alcohol content of 13% by volume. I have also tasted samples from 1997 and 1998.
THE DRINK
The usual advice is to store red wines in their bottles horizontally if they are to be kept for any length of time. This keeps the cork moist and expanded thereby reducing the possibility of air entry. A few days upright in the cupboard from supermarket to dinner table will not cause any problem! It is also recommended that red wine should be opened and poured gently into another vessel (decanter) an hour or two prior to serving. This allows the wine to “breathe” and develop its flavour (exhaust any nfusty smell and absorb a little oxygen). It also allows the separation of any sediment from the bottom of the bottle.
It is always worth smelling the cork. Wine aficionados will tell you that this is sufficient in a restaurant to decide if the contents are ‘off’. Also have a sniff from the bottle after decanting. Both of these should smell of the firmly of the wine, should be pleasing and should promise of the delight to come.
This Rioja has a very complex and fruity nose. The pronounced hint of oak is immediately apparent. The best analogy is to recall the smell of your Grandma’s best sherry (that, after all, was matured in oak barrels too). There are also aromatic hints of polished leather, old sherry, vanilla, spice (cinnamon) and pudding.
Serve it in a generous goblet shaped glass and room temperature. Even when sipped straight from the bottle without decanting or waiting, this is a superb, full flavoured, medium bodied red wine. It is intensely fruity (all manner of black and red berries are in there – cherries, blackcurrants, blackberries, strawberries), sweetly aromatic (without being sickly) and oaky in taste. It is delightfully smooth and rounded on the palate with no great acidity or harshness in the tannins. Navajas Crianza Rioja slips down easily, glass by gorgeous glass. Its flavours linger in the memory. I have not found it heavy on the head either.
This wine will complement any roast or full flavoured main course. It will also accompany most mature cheeses. It is a label that I have enjoyed over the years and have marvelled at its reliability. I can recommend this one. It is the wine against which I judge all other European reds.
AVAILABILITY:
Rioja Navajas Crianza: vintage 1999 750ml bottle £6.58 Internet order: Weavers of Nottingham (http://secure.weaverswines.com/)
I have also been served this wine at a local restaurant (the eXchange) in North Shields, the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Birmingham and the restaurant of the Royal Society of Medicine in London (price varied from £13.50 to £28 a bottle!!).
(Rest assured: I shall not be rushing out to Sainsway's Wino Department testing every vin plonk on the shelves. Wine tasting is a labour of love and needs time and application to appreciate!!)
Advantages: soft, light, fruity Disadvantages: slightly peppery unless left to breath.
...break the bank either!
Rioja Navajas 1998 Crianza is bottled in Spain. That particular year the wine was made entirely from the Tempranillo grape which gives it that vanilla aroma.
Other years may vary slightly according to the combination of grapes used. Some years,the grapes used are mixed with Garnacha grapes, or a small quantity of Cabernet Sauvignon to make up the short fall in the quantity, or flavour, of the grapes harvested. The lower the ... ...oak cask before bottling. While Rioja refers to the region of Spain where the grapes are grown. This wine is soft and spicey and can see through it in the glass because it is less dense and not such a deep red colour, as some of the heavier Spanish red wines.
The aroma is slightly peppery with a hint of vanilla but the sharpness of the fruit still comes through.
Over all I would describe the taste of this red wine as mellow, soft, fruity, slightly ...
janharper 20.07.2003
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