Concept wines

Concept wines, hmm – I think I might have just coined a phrase!

So, what exactly do I mean? Well, I’ve recently been in contact with my friends at Bodegas Casa Boquera, DO Yecla. I was asking about a wine they might like me to feature on my monthly Valley FM Radio Programme – The Wine Show ( first Saturday every month, 12: 00 hrs – 13: 00 hrs CET). I originally asked if they might have a rosado – it’s one of the few Casa Boquera wines I’ve yet to taste.

The timing wasn’t quite right, but they were nevertheless keen to be involved, so instead offered me a choice of their other wines, one of which was called their Edición Limitada. Hmm, limited edition, also meaning no doubt, limited production. The idea caught my interest.

So where is the concept? Each year in the vineyard the various different varieties grow, mature and ripen at different rates. It’s not known exactly why this is, but any farmer will tell you that this year the carrots have outshone the potatoes, for example; and of course every grape grower will tell you that last year the Monastrell was superb, but this year the Garnacha has done better – again, as an example.

All varieties are, of course, in the same vineyard with the same soils, the same aspect to the sun, the same weather – in short, the same terroir, plus they’ve all been treated exactly the same ( that’s organically at www. casaboquera. es). Yet one variety will outdo the others. Fact of life, fact of nature.

Now here’s the crafty bit – in 2017 it happened to be that Casa Boquera’s Petit Verdot was the ‘ winning’ variety – perfect health, beautiful ripe bunches, wonderful taste, and so on. That’s not to say, of course, that there was anything wrong with the other varieties – it’s just that Petit Verdot was outstanding. So, think coowner ( with Norwegian husband, Harald) and Head Winemaker, Rafa, why don’t we make a Limited Edition, monovarietal using Petit Verdot, the best that nature had to offer at the 2017 harvest?!

A Concept Wine was born – and I am delighted to have been one of the first to taste the fruits of Petit Verdot’s, and Team Casa Boquera’s, labour. What a fine wine it is.

The bottle has been chosen well, Burgundy style and without a foil – it looks classy. The label is simplistic, different than their usual logo and yet with reference to it. Now to the wine itself – well, with a dark skinned grape such as Petit Verdot you’d expect it to be a dark wine, and it is. It’s quite opaque in the glass though with a fresh brilliance too. Pass your nose over the glass a few seconds after pouring and the aromas start to enter your senses.

Black forest fruits, blackberry first, with a little blackcurrant and also blueberry notes - a lovely tantalising fruit fragrance. As with all Casa Boquera wines it’s organic using only natural yeasts from the vineyard – there’s therefore an earthy, mineral note to the wine too. Take it on the palate and the fruit is joined by some subtle toasty, coffee notes – support from 6 months in barrel. On the long finish you’ll find some delicious dark chocolate liqueur flavours.

So there you have it – a fine new Casa Boquera wine, as well as a new phrase to add to the wine critics’ lexicon!

As the name suggests there aren’t that many bottles available – my advice is to get onto their website where you’ll be able to buy this wine, released this November. Plus, you’ll also see that they have their own luxury boutique hotel surrounded by their vines – we’ve stayed there a few times, it’s absolutely outstanding!

Oh, and by the way – I know the variety used for the 2018 Edición Limitada, but wild horses…