The monovarietals of La Mancha
Agreed – it’s not a word in common use, except amongst the anorak-clad personnel of the wine world, like myself (although I actually eschew the anorak – I got lost I one when a child, scary experience, but I digress!).
However regular Cork Talk readers will certainly have come across the word ‘Monovarietal’ before and, of course, readers new to the delights of the Costa News’ dedicated wine column, established over 22 years ago, will quickly be able t ascertain that we are talking here about wines that are made with just one variety.
There can be a little confusion here in Spain, however. I’m not sure of the exact figure, but if a winemaker makes a wine using 85%(I think) of one variety she/he is quite within their rights to call it my that variety, without needing to mention those that make up the remaining 15%.
Actually, I think those that do this are a little behind the times. Yes, it’s true that some varieties have a certain cachet here, but nowadays, with modern technology, deeper wine making knowledge and the rediscovery of old forgotten grapes, there are more advantages, I think, in also listing the other varieties used.
However, when it comes to Bodegas Hacienda Albae (www.haciendaalbae.com), operating in La Mancha, making wines under the auspices of DO
La Mancha and Vino de la Tierra de Castilla, the above is academic. Their impressive monovarietal range is exactly that – each wine is made with 100% of the variety you’ll see written on the bottle.
The one I picked out straight away, when a case arrived via my friends at Spanish Palate (Négociants/distributors and the subject of a recent Cork Talk), was the Viognier, a wonderfully perfumed white wine grape, and one of my favourites. The French grape, Viognier, hales from the Rhône valley where it makes amazing apricot perfumed, fruit driven dry white wine – but here in Spain, in the huge sun-baked land of La Mancha? I loved it!
It doesn’t have that pronounced apricot nose and flavour, unsurprising really as the climate and the soil is so different from ‘back home’, nevertheless, it seems you can’t keep a good grape down! Harvested at night when the temperature is at its coolest, the grapes are transported the short distance to the bodega where they are also kept at a cool temperature throughout the fermentation process. The resulting wine is then left on its lees for a few months to add texture to the finished article. You’ll find white peaches on the nose and palate, a little mandarin skin on the nose suggesting good acidity and maybe some faint white flower fragrance too. It has presence and elegance. Buy it!
There are a several of their varieties from which they make two different wines – Chardonnay is one. I liked both, a lot, but space determines that I only have the room to write about one, so I’ve chosen the Chardonnay
Especial, which I thought outstanding! It’s a cold fermentation lasting about 2 weeks, then there is a further six months ageing on its lees with regular stirring, again for that mouthfeel effect on the resulting wine. All of the above is done in medium toasted French oak barrels! And oh boy, does it work! It’s full, rich and creamy with some pineapple and banana notes, some complexity too – really good wine!
Another of the varieties used to make two different wines is Tempranillo. This time, in the interests of balance, I’ll talk about regular Tempranillo and not the Selección Especial, which, incidentally, was a cracking mouthful! Made from vines planted 35 years ago, the oldest vineyard in fact, as Hacienda Albae only started 30 years ago, the HA Tempranillo is what we might term a ‘roble’ wine, in that it has had just 6 months in
American oak, which has been heavily toasted, which for me gives the wine a slightly liquorice aroma coupled with a little smouldering ash. There are good fruit notes of blackberry and blueberry too. Fresh, vivacious and happy with food or just to drink on its own.
Most of this bodega’s varietal wines are us international varieties, rather than indigenous ones. Another, far from home, is their Malbec – which, though our French friends may not like this, seems to taste better from Argentina than from its natural habitat, Cahors in France. I really like this one too. There isn’t much Malbec here in Spain, but, as with Petit Verdot, I can see it being panted more often.
Hacienda Albae believes that this variety gives of its best if left on the vines for longer than is normal. Consequently, the Malbec was the last to be harvested, and this at the end of October, when the grapes are perfectly ripe with a good sugar level, translating to a wine of 14·5%. There’s a little plum fruit on the nose and the palate with some herbal notes, though it’s the fruit that makes its mark. 6 months in French oak, medium toasted this time, add some depth, though not a lot of extra flavour, allowing the fruit to do the talking.
The other wine that I particularly liked was the HA Merlot – which had pleasing menthol touch on the nose as well as good forest fruit. Space doesn’t allow me to discuss the Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon wines, two styles of each variety, but I’m happy to say that enjoyed the whole range! The wines are big and full, high in alcohol and all have a good length, displaying lots of fruit character.