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 *