[wine] [jellings@me.umn.edu: Spanish Wines at Auriga] THURS

Greetings, Space available... ?? 8 spots around the table. no corkage 18% will be added to the bill. ----- Forwarded message from "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> ----- Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2005 18:32:47 -0500 From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> To: wine(a)thebarn.com Subject: [wine] Spanish Wines at Auriga Greetings, We're heading to Auriga (). Plan is to do a mix of whites and reds from spain. Yes Lori Betsy Russ Roger Jim Nicolai Later/Maybe Louise Bill Cheers, Jim ----- Forwarded message from "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)ME.UMN.EDU> ----- Date: Mon, 7 Mar 2005 16:32:30 -0600 From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)ME.UMN.EDU> To: wine(a)thebarn.com Subject: [wine] Que Syrah Sirah Greetings, Off to the newly remodeled Auriga, Thursday, 6:30. NW corner of Hennepin and Franklin Auriga Rest. 1930 Hennepin Ave, Mpls, 55403 612-871-0777 March 9, 2005 WINES OF THE TIMES; Priorat's Return Was Worth the Wait By ERIC ASIMOV ONE of the most fascinating stories of late 20th-century winemaking was the rebirth of the Priorat region in northeastern Spain. In the last 25 years, it has been completely transformed from a moribund area to one that makes intense, concentrated, expensive wines that manage the difficult trick of appealing to modern, globalized tastes without sacrificing their own distinctive character. Priorat's success is due in large part to its isolation. The vineyards, planted on breathtakingly steep slopes on craggy hills about 100 miles southwest of Barcelona, do not lend themselves to the sort of industrial farming that can result in tankers of insipid wine or that attracts big corporations. They demand determination and vast amounts of sweat. After the phylloxera louse ravaged European vineyards in the late 19th century, Priorat stagnated until around 25 years ago, when a group of idealistic young winemakers arrived. They were led by Ren� Barbier, who brought a French winemaking heritage to this Catalonian region, and their belief in the potential of the vineyards has been borne out. Now, millions of dollars later, Priorat is home to dozens of producers making small lots of wine that are coveted the world over. As with other reborn winemaking regions, a debate rages in Priorat that pits traditional, regional flavors against modern, international tastes. Old vineyards of Spanish grapes like garnacha and cari�ena (better known by their French names grenache and carignan) are prized in Priorat, but many of the newer vineyards are planted with cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah and other French grapes that are now planted all over the world. Instead of the clear stylistic divide between old and new that is seen in so much of the winemaking world, the Dining section's wine panel found in Priorat a region defined more by power, nuance and paradox. Florence Fabricant and I were joined by Adam Rieger, the wine director at Casa Mono, a Spanish restaurant on Irving Place, and Jean-Luc Le D�, who recently left his job as sommelier at Daniel to open up a wine shop in the West Village. We sampled 25 Priorat reds and were impressed by the consistency, richness, depth and personality of the wines we liked best. We were also surprised by what we did not find: wines overwhelmed by oaky flavors or sweetness, or that sought to duplicate expensive French, American or Italian wines. ''For such a young region, I'm surprised by the character of these wines,'' said Mr. Le D�, who has long had an affinity for Spanish wines. ''You get a real sense of place.'' Oh, that elusive sense of place. It's an issue that almost always comes up in our tastings. It's a fragile quality, difficult to define and hard to convey, yet it's what separates a well-made wine from a great wine, regardless of the price. And it's also partly what makes these wines so paradoxical. Priorat is a winemaking region with centuries of documented history. Yet winemaking there as currently practiced stretches back just a couple of decades or so. Is that long enough to give a sense of what these wines are all about? The question is implicit in our top-rated wine, the 2001 Finca la Planeta from Pasanau Germans. This wine is 90 percent cabernet sauvignon, and indeed, it would be easy to mistake it for a fine Bordeaux, with its deep aromas and flavors of tobacco and berries. It's powerfully tannic and acidic, yet it's also elegant, with earthy, mineral flavors and a whiff of smokiness. The other 10 percent is garnacha, and perhaps that's what makes the wine so singular. At $39 a bottle, the Finca la Planeta was also our Best Value. By contrast, our No. 2 wine, the 2001 Vall Llach, is made largely from the cari�ena grape with some merlot and cabernet thrown in. Cari�ena is most often a workhorse grape, especially in southern France, where it often tastes rustic and harsh. But the Vall Llach is concentrated, earthy and powerful, and the fruit has enough richness to withstand a healthy dose of oak. What do these wines have in common? An unusual intensity, a result most likely of keeping grape yields very low, and an earthy minerality that possibly comes from the slate soils in which the best vineyards are planted. On through our Top 10 wines, whether the 2000 Fra Fulc�, dominated by cari�ena, or from a blend like the 2000 Clos de l'Obac from Costers del Siurana, which has more garnacha, the hallmark was intensity checked by balance. Priciness was a constant, too. You can find Priorat wines under $30, and they can be decent enough, but none made our list. It's partly a reminder that ambitious winemaking in an unforgiving area is not an inexpensive proposition. But it's also an indication that, with the dollar falling against the euro, these wines are only going to get more expensive with each passing vintage. After a string of successful vintages, by the way, the 2002 vintage was difficult. The Clos Mogador, made by the pioneering Mr. Barbier, was forbiddingly tannic, yet evidence of ripe fruit was there, too. It will need time to develop. Luckily, we found plenty of Priorat wines from older vintages still in the stores, and any from 1998 to 2001 are preferable. Tasting Report: From the Good Earth, Fruit and Intensity BEST VALUE Pasanau Germans Finca la Planeta 2001: $39 1/2 ***1/2 [Rating: three and a half stars] Deeply aromatic with earthy, lingering flavors of fruit, smoke and minerals; reminiscent of a fine Bordeaux. (Importer: Classical Wines, Seattle) Vall Llach 2001: $70 *** [Rating: three stars] Dense and intense, with rich fruit, coffee and earth flavors. (Tempranillo Imports, Mamaroneck, N.Y.) Fra Fulc� 2000: $40 *** [Rating: three stars] Concentrated and powerful with ripe fruit and mineral flavors balanced by oak. (European Cellars Direct, New York) J.M. Fuentes Gran Clos 1999: $35 *** [Rating: three stars] Complex and layered, with berry and mineral aromas and persistent spicy flavors. (European Cellars Direct, New York) La Vinya del Vuit ''8'' 2001: $70 *** [Rating: three stars] Fresh aromas of berries and mint; needs time for powerful tannins to soften. (European Cellars Direct, New York) Costers del Siurana Clos de l'Obac 2000: $58 1/2 [Rating: two and a half stars] Solid and balanced, with spicy, earthy aromas and smoky berry flavors. (Tempranillo Imports, Mamaroneck, N.Y.) Clos Mogador 2002: $75 1/2 **1/2 [Rating: two and a half stars] Inky and dense with searing tannins balanced by ripe fruit; good wine in a tough vintage. (Europvin, Oakland, Calif.) Mas Doix Salenques 2001: $32 ** [Rating: two stars] Dark and fruity, not complex but delicious. (European Cellars Direct, New York) Costers del Siurana Miserere Mas d'En Bruno 2001: $44 ** [Rating: two stars] Tannic and closed, with succulent fruit and herbal aromas. (Tempranillo Imports, Mamaroneck, N.Y.) Cims de Porrera Classic 1998: $87 ** [Rating: two stars] Oaky and fruity in a ripe, modern style. (Europvin, Oakland, Calif.) WHAT THE STARS MEAN: (None) Pass It By * Passable ** Good *** Excellent **** Extraordinary Ratings reflect the panel's reaction to wines, which were tasted with names and vintages concealed. The panelists this week are Eric Asimov; Florence Fabricant; Adam Rieger, the wine director at Casa Mono, a Spanish restaurant; and Jean-Luc Le D�, formerly the sommelier at Daniel. The tasted wines represent a selection generally available in good retail shops and restaurants. Prices are those paid in liquor shops in the New York region. Tasting coordinator: Bernard Kirsch nytimes.com Recent wine columns from the New York Times are online: nytimes.com/wine. This week, members of the panel discuss their favorite wines from Priorat. -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *