Winery: Fèlix Massana Ràfols
Wine: Rosé N.V.
Location: Penedès, Spain
Purchased: Fèlix Massana Ràfols Winery
Price: $10.54

Jonathan and I are slowly starting to pop open some of the bottles we bought in Europe. I think we want to savor the memory of the trip as long as possible. Well, at least until our next one. While I’m looking forward to opening these bottles because we relive our journey, it’s also kind of sad for me. I know that if I really like the wine chances are I can’t find it in the U.S. or it’s way too expensive to purchase regularly. Such is the case with the Fèlix Massana Ràfols Rosé. While extremely affordable, they don’t distribut to the U.S. So anyone going to Spain soon?

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D.O. Navarra sits in the northeastern region of Spain, close to the border with France and the Pyrenees mountain range. The vineyards are planted in the southern part of the region between Pamplona and the plains. They sit on the lower slopes toward the river Ebro. The region was traditionally known for its rosé wines made from Garnacha, but now produce red and white wines.

The D.O. is divided into five sub-regions, each producing distinct wine. These include Valdizarbe, Tierra Estella, Ribera Alta, Baja Montaña and Ribera Baja. The most important of these is Ribera Baja in terms of area and number of wineries. About 30% of the vineyards are located here. It has dry, sandy soil and sits on the right bank of the river Ebro.

Navarra features a continental climate with long, hot, dry summers and cold winters. The northern and central zones have dry continental climates with Atlantic influences. While the southern zone is influenced mainly by the river. The region receives an average amount of rainfall for Spain, but the higher altitudes risk an occasional frost or violent storm. The soils are predominately brown limestone with some clay.

Traditionally, 95% of all vines planted in Navarra were red to produce red wines and rosé. Garnacha and Tempranillo made up over 65% of the red grapes planted. Others included Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Graciano and Mazuelo. However, more and more white grapes are being planted, thus decreasing the percentage of red grapes. White grapes include Viura (Macabeo), Chardonnay and Garnacha Blanca. Most vines are trained along trellises rather than planting en vaso, or low to the ground as a bush. This technique makes harvest and maintenance on the vines easier and allows for the maximum exposure to sunlight.

We tasted two wine from Navarra. These two wines have an interesting story. The father produces the Baron de Magaña and the son makes the Magaña Calchetas. Jonathan and I had sampled the Baron de Magaña before and were not fond of it. So I was interested to see if my palate had changed and if I would enjoy the son’s wine. Tasting notes follow:

Baron de Magaña 2004
-40% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Tempranillo
-18 months in oak – 70% new and 30% old
-Bright cherry, red color
-Aromas of must, toast, smoke and lots of oak
-Biting on the palate – very dry furry feeling in the mouth – harsh tannins
-Made in a very traditional style

Magaña Calchetas 2006
-Merlot based wine with Cabernet Sauvignon and small amounts of Malbec
-20 months in oak – unfiltered – hand destemmed
-Very purply color
-Bold and young- needs to age for a while
-Deep on the palate – very complex
-Potential to be really good in a few years.

I must say I enjoyed the son’s Magaña Calchetas more, and I hope to find a bottle of this.

Winery: Château Cos d’Estournel
Wine: Red Bordeaux Blend
Location: Saint-Estèphe, Bordeaux, France
Purchased: The Corkscrew
Price: $150.00

Jonathan received a gift certificate to the wine store in town so we figured what better way to spend it than to blow it on one bottle of wine. It was his birthday so we did have an occasion to celebrate. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have popped open a 40-year-old bottle of wine. It was the first opportunity for both of us to sample wine older than us. It was quite an experience. It’s amazing to think that when we were born the wine was already 10 years old and probably in someone’s cellar. Sure it could have been opened then, but chances are it would have been tight and in serious need of a decanter. I wonder about the 40 year journey this bottle has been on and where it’s been? I know I’m just a wine dork because I think it’s amazing that after 40 years it fell into our hands.

The top is a picture of the 1970 bottle I found online. The second picture was our bottle. You be the judge.

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I have a couple of items I wanted to blog about but haven’t gotten to or they don’t really fill an entire blog. So today is a hodgepodge of quick hit items.

*Earlier this week, the largest American Viticulture Area (AVA) became a reality. The Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA covers 29,914 square miles in southeastern Minnesota, southwest Wisconsin, northwest Illinois and northeast Iowa. The designation allows a winery to put the AVA name on the label, giving consumers a specific sense of where the wine is from.

*So I discovered a reality show I’ll be sure to watch this fall. I was reading Pulling the Cork, who blogged about The Winemakers. It’s a reality show on PBS that plunge real-life characters into the wine industry, with the winner launching their own brand. After a quick google search, I found the website and learned it’s set to air this September.

*I found this news while cruising the ultra expensive site luxuo.com. See if this will fit into your budget….a $1 million wine book will be released in the Spring of 2010. The book, The Wine Opus, lists the world’s top 100 wineries. Included with the purchase of a book is a six bottle case of each wine listed in the book. Only 100 copies of the book will be sold, with a number of copies set aside for auctions.

*Starbucks is selling beer and wine. Don’t hold your breath that you’ll see it at your local store anytime soon. The plan consists of opening three stores in Seattle as a test market. No word yet as to how many wines will be on the menu or what styles of wine will be served

Winery: Domaine Skouras
Wine: Cabernet Sauvignon & St. George blend 2006
Location: Peloponnese, Greece
Purchased: The Corkscrew
Price: $7.99

In my quest to try 100 varietals, Jonathan and I have been drinking some unusual wines.I’ve covered all the basic grape varieties so it was time to start trying wines from “unusual” or not your typical winemaking areas. A couple of weeks ago, we sampled a Bulgarian wine for around $10, not too bad. Domaine Skouras is a red blend from Greece. It’s not going to blow your socks off, but for $8 it’s an easy wine to drink in the evenings or as a second bottle.

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