I know I promised you some New Zealand wine this week, and I now promise you that next week I will deliver… but last week I gave you a little kiss from Spain and just a day after I wrote that piece, someone reminded me of an even deeper kiss from the same country. I checked its online availability and saw that it was dwindling, so I thought it best to let you know about one other Spanish wine before heading into the southern hemisphere.
If you remember last week’s recommendation, it was the Beso de Vino ($9.95 – #231787), a kiss from Spain, a simple pleasure wine that’s a real quaffer… well, if Beso is a peck on the cheek, then what I’m about to recommend is a full-on, tongue-deep-in-the-mouth, passion frenzy-type of kiss: Coto de Hayas Garnacha Centenaria 2011 ($17 – #94805) is made from century-old Garnacha vines. It’s important to note that old vines give you grapes that are something you really want to make wine from… small concentrated berries make the best wines. Because these vines are old, they are not as vigorous as a young vine would be and along with small berries, they also produce fewer bunches so the vine concentrates all its energy into making the few bunches it can. The LCBO got its hands on this beauty and the price is much less than you should be paying for a wine of this quality. The aromas start off sexy with chocolate and blackberries taking control. The palate is supple and seductive with cassis, cherry, and cocoa – absolutely delicious. It drinks well now, but it will also easily age another 5+ years in the cellar, so buy a bunch and impress your friends with your knowledge of wines from older vines and your taste in wines (****+).
Coto de Hayas Garnacha Centenaria 2011, $17 – #94805 (****+)