SPANISH WINE AGEING
Experimentation with different vessels
The elegance, longevity and poise of the world’s finest wines, and certainly of those from Spain, is as much a result of the time they spend maturing in the cellar as of the quality of the grapes and the nature of the terroir that bred them. Ageing can play a key role in revealing a wine’s full potential, through the added layers of complexity and the structural refinement the process allows.
The style of Spain’s greatest wines was shaped by the masterful use of American oak barrels, with its characterful aromas imparting complex flavours and affirmative, ageworthy tannins. Ramón Bilbao Reserva is a flagship example of this traditional choice of ageing vessel and a synonym of what Rioja stands for.
Rioja is, however, a region where innovation is building upon tradition. Decades of knowledge and experience have given Spanish winemakers the confidence to experiment with vessels of different materials, thus being able to express multiple facets of the grape varieties and terroirs.
French and Hungarian oak have been introduced as complementing alternatives to their American counterpart. Both European species have finer grain - meaning that the wine has less, and slower, exposure to oxygen - and impart a different range of aromas: while American oak has distinct vanilla and coconut notes, the French tends to lend a nuttier touch and the Hungarian can be distinctively more floral.
The experimentation goes beyond different kinds of wood. Clay amphorae and concrete vats, both porous and glazed, are now part of the winemaker’s palette. Clay amphorae, in an updated version of the ancestral vessels wine was first fermented and stored in, allow for a unique softness of texture and a refined mineral touch. Concrete, on the other hand, is a vehicle of purity, allowing for the grape’s fruitiness to really come through.
Rámon Bilbao uses a combination of French oak, clay and concrete to achieve the perfectly balanced and terroir-led Límite Norte and Límite Sur. The filigreed structure of Lalomba’s Finca Ladero, on the other hand, is achieved by using both concrete and Hungarian oak.
What all these wines have in common is the potential to develop further in bottle. The time spent in the cellar has given them the complexity and structure to age beautifully.
mature to have lost the ‘baby fat’ of aromas from cask ageing, malolactic fermentation, and lees stirring. These aromas take a back seat with a bit of age, and what is left should be lusciously ripe pear and apple fruit, a hint of hazelnut, and a touch of butter. The vintage is not so mature that it will have developed tertiary aromas such as truffle or caramel yet, which are not to the liking of every wine lover.
These wines should be drinking at their ‘early peak’, although they still have lots of life left. At this point in their evolution, they would be sublime to pair with sole or a roast guinea fowl or turkey. Their finely tuned minerality and fresh acidity from the cool summer temperatures suggest them for lobster and crab as well.
EARLY-MATURING REDS: 2015
2015 is a big vintage in Burgundy. Low yields and copious sun concentrated flavours and sped ripening, while cool nights in August and September maintained balance by providing freshness. The red wines can be massive and tannic, and indeed the best wines, including most of the grands crus and the top tier of premiers crus, will be far from ready to drink. These wines will likely be in a bit of a ‘dumb phase’ – it is common for substantial Burgundy wines to show well briefly in their youth but then lose their charm until they are 10 years on or more.
This reticence is less often the case in wines of lesser concentration and depth, such as villagelevel wines or second-tier premiers crus, such as those at higher elevation or slightly exposed to the northeast. For this category of reds, drinking them on their fruit is the way to go.
At this point, the 2015s should still be exuberantly expressive, showing red and black berry fruit with a lovely floral cast to the nose. This type of wine will favour ethereal perfume at the expense of richness and power, and they should be deliciously drinkable at this stage.
They should also be a perfect accompaniment for first courses such as paté or that Burgundian favourite jambon persillé (pictured above), but they would work just as well with scotch eggs or a cheese soufflé.
A VINTAGE FOR THE TOP REDS: 2002
‘These wines should provide delicious memories to the happy few who enjoy them this holiday season’
2002 has always been a personal Burgundy favourite of mine. It was sunny, warm and dry, but there was no excess in 2002, and the wines retain considerable freshness.
In general, these wines do not have the extraordinary ripeness of the 1999 vintage. Nor do they have the dangerous concentration of the [extremely hot] 2003 vintage or the often-hard tannins of the 2005s. Ripe, but not overly so, they
--------------------------- Charles Curtis MW
are superbly expressive, and as they approach 20 years of age, many are nearing their peak.
I find the 2002 vintage supremely seductive because the wines are young enough to retain plenty of fruit, but mature enough to have a full complement of complexity. Aromas of game, truffle, mineral and smoke begin to make their appearance and add depth.
The wines from the best Volnay premiers crus such as Caillerets, Champans and Santenots are mature at this point, and the Pommards from Rugiens and Epenots have softened and opened up. The grands crus of Gevrey, Morey, Chambolle, and Vosne are just now turning the corner into their apogee. Although I advise continued patience to owners of Romanée-Conti, Rousseau Chambertin or Roumier Musigny, most other 2002 wines are sublime at this point.
These are wines suited to the main course – rack of lamb, beef tenderloin or, perhaps especially, game such as pheasant or squab. These wines should provide delicious memories to the happy few who enjoy them this holiday season.