Monday, January 12, 2009

Marquee Blog - Let's Kick off 2009 with a Spanish Fiesta

Marquee Blog – Let’s Kick off 2009 with a Spanish Fiesta!

I got my fill of holiday parties, cheeseballs, and mixed nuts over the last month and am happy to now be signing my checks 2009 without having to scratch out 2008 first. With the start of the new year comes new year’s resolutions, a clean slate to keep score on and more and more snow (at least for some parts of the world).

Kicking off 2009, I am proud to let all of my partners know that Marquee has added a great new lineup of wines to our portfolio from the region of Yecla, Spain. Yecla is located in Southern Spain, in the state of Murcia and is home to some of the highest vineyards on the entire Iberian Peninsula. After a long search we found our partner, Bodegas La Purisima doing wonderful things with Monastrell (one of my favorite varietals), producing a number of wines in the certified organic methodology and making crisp white wines from high elevation Sauvignon Blanc.

What is high elevation in this region; good question, the simple answer is that a large amount of the La Purisma vineyards are located at elevations over 3000 ft. above sea level that produce warm days with abundant sunshine and cool evenings. With the start of the New Year we have introduced the:

2007 Old Hands Sauvignon Blanc
2007 Old Hands Organic Monastell
2006 Old Hands Monastrell
2004 Trapio Old Vine Monastrell


Each of the Monastrell wines has a unique and rich flavor that is accented with the use of oak aging to show lush smoky tones over the top of a dark berry & cherry base. Hints of cocoa and bits of spice keep these wines interesting and true to their old vine roots.

The 2004 Trapio is the star of this showcase, coming entirely from un-grafted Monastrell vines, the winemaker gives you a unique view into what this grape varietal tasted like before the behemoth phyloxera wiped out most European vineyards and made grafted vines the norm for modern “old world “wines. Not to be outdone, the Sauvignon Blanc has a restrained, yet racy acidic back bone and tons of bright peach fruit. The heat of the regions also brings forward the passion fruit and apple notes in our Sauvignon Blanc, you will be impressed!

Spain is a country that can over deliver on value if you know the right producers, and I am happy to have these exciting new wines as a part of the Marquee portfolio.
Cheers!

Christopher J. Cribb, CSW
GM – Marquee Artisan Wines
cjcribb@marquee.com