When I first launched this site, nearly four years ago, Spanish wines were what I was excited about, especially garnacha. But since the first few months of the site, I find myself tasting less and less Spanish wines. I have nothing against them, in fact I still have some trusted favorites in the Spanish section. I just seem to be coming across Spanish wines less often these days. I’m sure some of that is due to the outstanding bargains coming out of Chile, which are really overshadowing some other value regions.
Nonetheless, I still love a good Spanish wine and I was glad to have the opportunity to taste this one. I should note that I did not taste this wine blind, as I generally prefer to do for reviews. But without a lineup of a few different Spanish blends, it just wouldn’t work.
This wine comes from Rioja, which is probably the most well-known of the Spanish wine regions. But it’s not one I generally think of for “value” wines, and at $20 this one may not be considered a bargain by some consumers. Although, that is the “suggested” retail price and you may find it as low as $12.
The wine is a blend of 60% garnacha, 35% tempranillo and 5% manzuelo — a very Spanish blend. There are a couple other things that make this wine interesting to me too. It was bottled unfiltered, for one. When it comes to inexpensive wine, I actually find this to be rather rare. Probably due to the fact that this can leave some sediment in the bottle, which can be a turnoff to some consumers. But others think the wine is more true if it’s bottled unfiltered. I’ll let you be the judge of that.
The other thing that caught my attention is that the wine was fined using egg whites. Fining is a process in which winemakers add “fining agents” to a wine in order to clarify it. Think of it as the egg whites grabbing a hold of solid particles in the wine and pulling them to the bottom, leaving a clear wine at the top. It’s not that big of a deal, really. But there’s something natural (i.e. non-chemical) about using egg whites to do this that I find appealing.
While all of that’s interesting, we all know that it’s the smell and taste that really matter. So, on with the tasting.
This wine shows a combination of fruit and earthiness on the nose, with some plum and blackberry aromas contrasted with tree bark, herbs and allspice. On the palate, it offers sour cherry and a hint of strawberry flavors up front with a black tea quality in the mid-palate—which has a touch of bitterness. The finish is relatively long with soft fruit and leather flavors. The tannins are soft and the acidity is strong. This is more of a food wine than a sipping wine, to be paired with red meats, perhaps with game.
Wine: La Montesa
Variety: Red Blend
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 87
Price: $19.99
Find Herencia Remondo La Montesa with Snooth
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.