Gerry Dawes

Make sure you try LA CASTELA. Doctor Castelo, 22. Teléfono: 91 573 55 90. Don't be put off by the jam-packed tapas bar, which is very good (try zamburinas, baby scallops). Get a reservation beforehand in the restaurant in back, which is quite good, has good wines and is not terribly expensive.

First off, Brad Haskel is a wine consultant who writes for the Huffington Post regularly and he is a good friend of mine. However, he has never asked me the question about what grabbed me about Spain. On January 2, 1968, not long after daylight, our military plane banked near El Puerto de Santa María and I got my first glimpse of Spain: whitewashed buildings surrounded by palm trees in a sea of stubby vines surrounded by stark white soil, for the base at Rota lay near the Sherry vineyards between Jerez de la Frontera and Sanlúcar de Barrameda. As the plane circled before landing at the U.S. Navy base at Rota, I could not help noticing the circular enclosures which I would learn were bullrings, the big one at El Puerto de Santa María and smaller ones where I would one day find first hand that young fighting cows are tested for bravery. Spain was already beginning to fascinate me and I had not even touched the ground. The plane landed, physically in Spain, but in an American enclave, where I would stay for the next week, chomping at the bit to discover my first foreign country. New arrivals were not allowed off the base until they had attended the don’t-drink-the-water, don’t-eat-the-food, don’t-get-in-fights-with-the-natives, don’t- molest-the-señoritas lecture, which was held once a week. For our group, the indoctrination lecture would not to be held for nearly a week. All I saw of Spain during my first week in Rota were the glimpses I got on the daily bus rides to my work assignment at a large white security building, surrounded by a huge antennae field. From the perimeter road, across the strands of barbed wire that encircled the base, I saw men plodding along on burros past scrappy-looking farms with cottages, that, in those days, still had thatched roofs and in whose sparse environs grew cactus and palm trees. I saw little of the of the greenery and trees that I knew from my native Midwest; this was more like parts of California, perhaps even more barren. Still, those few glimpses were tantalizing and exotic. Finally, along with other new arrivals, we were given the indoctrination lecture and allowed off the base. Because of our work schedule--two evening shifts, two day shifts, following by two midnight to 8 a.m shifts--we had a nearly four-day break during every ten day cycle, so on my breaks I would go to Sevilla and live like a civilian. I would get off the midnight shift at 8 a.m., catch the train from Rota to El Puerto de Santa María, one of the three great Sherry towns, have breakfast in a café on the palm-tree lined esplanade along the Guadalete River, and then catch the connecting train to Sevilla. In Sevilla, I lived in the Pensión Santa Cruz in the Barrio de Santa Cruz, the old Jewish quarter of Sevilla, which was a truly magical place. The family who owned the Pensión Santa Cruz became by Spanish “family.” I even called Juan and Maria, “Mama” and “Papa,” and their son, Juan became such a close friend that he was my best man in my wedding (outside Detroit years later). When I got out of the Navy with $500, I stayed in Spain and after traveling for a couple of months, I met my future (now ex) wife, and rented an apartment in the Barrio de Santa Cruz, just a couple of old quarter blocks from the Pensión Santa Cruz and lived there for nearly four years. I got hooked on Spain in Sevilla, but soon expanded my horizons to include the whole country and I have been crisscrossing it like a wild man for more than four decades. I will not go into the fact that I have lived in Spain in at least five other lifetimes and that Rota is on the same parellel as my hometown of Alto Pass, Illinois, because I don’t want to scare the Hell out of Don Rockwell’s faithful readers.

The other big differences in Gilman's reviewing the wines of The Spanish Artisan Wine Group separately as wines from a totally new line and concept and Parker reviewing, yet again, the Ordoñez line separately from other Spanish wines is 1) Gilman is the lone reviewer for his View From The Cellar (www.viewfromthecellar.com) and Parker, after the Jay Miller-Pancho Campo debacle, hired Neal Martin, a Brit with a dramatically different view of what good wine should be, to be his Spanish reviewer. IMHO, if Neal Martin had been allowed to review the over-wrought Parkerista palate-aimed wines of Jorge Ordoñez, the outcome for those wines might not have been good. This from Ordoñez’s website: "Ordonez’s (sic, the name is spelled with a tilde over the 'n' in the beginning, but not throughout the document) modus operandi was to preserve the wines’ heritage and Spanish character while coaxing them into line with the late-20th-century palate. There was risk involved. Instead of pandering to internationalist trends, Ordoñez took the bold step of challenging the American palate by being the first to introduce exotic wines like Albarino, Txakoli and Godello to a market that knew little more than sangria. . . Ordonez partnered with his most talented winemaking partners to create new wines where none existed, wines infused with Spanish spirit and terroir, yet firmly in line with modern taste sensibilities. And ultimately that has become the new perception of Spanish wine–authentic yet modern." This, of course, all sounds great, but when you establish your own wineries with your own corporate winemaking team, which has included winemakers from New Zealand and Australia, whose communal palate tends to produce wines of very high alcohol, often marked by pronounced new oak, lower acid levels and the yeasty notes of battonage (and other winemaking manipulations) that overide, IMO, the "Spanish spirit and terroir," they may be firmly in line with what they perceive to be "modern taste sensibilities" (read Parkerista sensibilities here), but again in my opinion, they are anything but "authentic" and are "pandering" to someone's palate, but certainly not mine. Apparently, from all I have been able to gather in trips to Spain and from reading blogs and reports from other parts of the world, this approach to "producing" wine is rapidly on the wane, at least amongst serious wine lovers, and that is beginning to be reflected in the preferences of the general public who seem to be turning against this higher alcohol, hit-the-wine-reviewer-between-the-eyes-with-the-first-sip style of wine. It is perfectly understandable why Jorge Ordoñez’s would pressure his great friend, Robert Parker, into doing a stand alone review of his wines, given the fact that it is highly unlikely that Neal Martin's palate would lead him to give high marks for many of Ordoñez’s wines. But, especially after Parker caught heavy flak the first time he published a stand alone review several years ago of Jorge Ordoñez’s wines, independent of the reviews of his assigned Spanish wine reviewer, it is hard to understand why he would stick his neck out again. This time the excuse is that it is Jorge Ordoñez’s 25th anniversary as a wine importer. Since The Wine Advocate is Robert Parker's publication, he can do what he wants, but that does not keep people like Tyler Colman (Dr. Vino) and others from raising questions. This appeared on Dr. Vino a couple of days ago: Reader mail: Parker’s selective Spanish reviews "A reader writes in: 'I have just seen that Robert Parker has tasted the wines for Jorge Ordoñez and given points instead of Neil Martin. What is going on? I thought after the No Pay No Jay scandal they would be doing things by the book. Very disappointed as I was very happy how Neil Martin was doing things. I personal will cancel my web subscription. These points given can not have any creditability.' This is not the first time that Parker has reviewed the import portfolio of Jorge Ordonez separately from the Spanish critic: When Pierre Rovani reviewed Spanish wine, Parker kept the Jorge Ordóñez wines back to review those personally. This time, Parker uses the 25th anniversary of the importing business as a reason for singling them out. He also adds this line: 'Jorge Ordoñez can sometimes annoy people, and he seems to have no shortage of competitors who are clearly jealous of his great success.' It’s an odd line, with more bitterness than a wine before microxidation; if he likes the wines, why not just leave it at that? To include this line in a short piece praising Ordonez seems spiteful and almost paranoid since nobody had said anything badly about Ordóñez, as far as I am aware. From my perspective, the Ordóñez wines appear less visible than they were a decade ago and there have been some notable wineries that have left his portfolio. Meanwhile, the rise of boutique importers of Spanish wines has been one of the more exciting stories out of the Iberian peninsula in the past decade. Given that Parker frequently mentions Ordóñez wines, and Miller had been the recipient of hospitality, I understand why the reader is irked." This last is from Dr. Vino, not me. Reader can draw their own conclusions. For those who may say that since I represent several Spanish artisan wineries in the U.S., my remarks are casting aspersions on the wines of an importer of Spanish wines to gain advantage for the wines of my truly "authentic" producers, I can see why you might think that. But anyone who knows my long history (see Don Rockwell's introductions) knows that I have been against the Ordoñez - Parkerista approach to wine most of my life and that I often published articles against it when I was a wine writer. And I have been highly complementary, not without reason, about the Spanish wines of importers such as Andre Tamers of De Maision Selections and Jose Pastor Selections. The reason I decided to begin representing these small artisan producers is because I wanted to help offer another antidote to fine wine lovers to this over-wrought approach to wine and also because I was so damned tired of trying to drink (and failing) spoofulated wines, many of which were sent to me to review, that I myself needed the antidote.

Gilman's report was from a tasting that was the first time the wines had been presented to a major wine reviewer anywhere. Subsequently, Gilman came to another luncheon (I don't send wines to reviewers) and re-tasted them all. He was so impressed that instead of holding the reviews for a later issue, he decided to review the portfolio as a stand alone article that focused on the concept behind my artisan wines. Other people, before and since, have now reviewed the wines very, very favorably, but John Gilman in View From The Cellar has been the most effusive. Gilman loved the taste and style of the wines I chose, so I guess he likes my palate. Maybe Parker loves the taste and style of Jorge Ordoñez's wines, most of which you would have to put a gun to my head to get me to drink, but that is why there are different strokes for different folks. I suppose you mean the Pancho Campo-Jay Miller-Robert Parker affair, which ended with Jay Miller's resignation, Pancho Campo resigning as Master of Wine title and TWA with egg on its face. There is plenty of the internet about that. Just Google the names and plenty will come up. I don't really need to beat this dead horse anymore. What is amazing to me is that Miller was allowed to publish reports, basically trashing or ignoring the classic wines of La Rioja and the very next year, Neal Martin, who is getting very good marks from people I have talked to in Spain and from fine wine aficionados in general, comes along and gives some of those same wines ratings as high as 97 pts. (in the case of Rioja Alta).

Does anyone know what to make of this post from Dr. Vino's blog yesterdayabout Robert Parker selectively reviewing the Spanish wines from just one importer, Jorge Ordoñez? Reader mail: Parker’s selective Spanish reviews Or, coincidentally, the same day this sharp Twitter exchange between Tinto Fino, a New York Spanish wine retail specialist, Victor de la Serna, a newspaperman, a major wine opinion force and the owner of Finca Sandoval winery in La Manchuela, and Daniel Posner, an outspoken fine wine retailer in Westchester, New York. Here are some excerpts: Tinto Fino ‏@TintoFinoVino The "Jorge" Brand, many here have a hard time overlooking what he represents. #execution RT @VictordelaSerna: @grapestwc What brand is that? 12 Nov Victor de la Serna E ‏@VictordelaSerna @TintoFinoVino @grapestwc What does he represent? The Spanish Inquisition? Details 12 Nov Daniel Posner ‏@grapestwc @VictordelaSerna @TintoFinoVino How are Finca Sandoval sales in the NY market over the past few years? Details 12 Nov Victor de la Serna E ‏@VictordelaSerna @grapestwc @TintoFinoVino Stable, could be better #butweallsaythat Too much distributor upheaval - but need I mention a few others likewise? Details 12 Nov Daniel Posner ‏@grapestwc @VictordelaSerna @TintoFinoVino Can you be a little more specific? Up 25%? Down 30%? Do you still make the main wine? No one sells it in NY Details 12 Nov Victor de la Serna E ‏@VictordelaSerna @grapestwc @TintoFinoVino Three shops in NYC, three in the suburbs according to WineSearcher. Josh Raynolds likes it... http://www.wineacces...229367 … Details 12 Nov Daniel Posner ‏@grapestwc @VictordelaSerna @TintoFinoVino No one questions the quality of the wines. You like to argue in circles. My initial post was about Parker... Details 12 Nov Daniel Posner ‏@grapestwc @VictordelaSerna @TintoFinoVino covering a dying importer. You thought otherwise. Yet ur sales suk. Why? Wines r good. Hmmm... Details 12 Nov Tinto Fino ‏@TintoFinoVino @VictordelaSerna @grapestwc These days it's more like the fall of the Franco regime. Importers have changed and buyers are less brainwashed. Details 12 Nov Adrian Nathan West ‏@a_nathanwest @TintoFinoVino @victordelaserna @grapestwc are you really comparing a vicious civil war with too much oak in your Monastrell?! For shame... Details 12 Nov Victor de la Serna E ‏@VictordelaSerna @a_nathanwest @TintoFinoVino @grapestwc Yes, this is gettiing a bit wacky. If my wines are good, buy them. If they're not, don't. That's all Details 24h Daniel Posner ‏@grapestwc @VictordelaSerna it is funny how you can just spin things out of control, avoid the topic, and call it whacky. Details 16h Victor de la Serna E ‏@VictordelaSerna @grapestwc Twitter is not a place to discuss commercial strategies, Daniel. You should know that. Details

More on Godello In Spain, the Promise of Godello by Eric Asimov The New York Times, Saturday, May 26, 2012 Excerpt: ". . .Some people have already made up their minds about godello. Gerry Dawes, who has been writing about Spanish wines for decades and who recently went into the importing business, has called godello “Spain’s emerging hope as an equivalent to the great white Burgundies.” Both these are from The Spanish Artisan Wine Group - Gerry Dawes Selections. The reviews are not Asimov's. He didn't have these wines in the tasting. Adegas D.Berna, Córgomo, Villamartín de Valdeorras (Ourense) D. Berna Godello 2010 Valdeorras 13.0% 12/750ML $24.99 “The 2010 godello, a white from the small-production Bodegas D. Berna, in Valdeorras, was splendid. Pointillistic, lithe, long, delivering visceral and cerebral pleasures, it was reminiscent of white peaches. The property, Dawes wrote, is advised by “a great local, enologist, José Luís Murcía, who may know more about godello than anyone in Galicia.” Murcía, he went on, “advises nine wineries” but “does not mark the wines with a one-fits-all winemaking stamp.” - - Howard G. Goldberg, who writes for The New York Times, Decanter and other publications. Adegas O Barreiro, Seadur (Ourense) O Barreiro 'A Silveira' Godello 2010 12.5% 6/750ML $19.99 SRP Retired electric power line builder 'Pepe' Rodríguez retired from his own company and now, with hired help from his 140-person village of Seadur, farms his vineyards in this isolated village, which is reachable only by a pair of serious cork-screw roads leading up from the Sil River valley. Pretty, brilliant green-gold. Whiffs of white peach. Fine, racy, acidity with restrained white peach, stone fruit and bitter almond flavors. Its tartness is balanced by lovely fruit and moderate alcohol, which makes it an exceptional food wine. In the third glass, it's raciness is somewhat reminiscent of great Savennières and the quality, flavor and finish is as good as many white Burgundies.

More on Don Rockwell's query about Godello. "Among the most enjoyable wines from my tastings – usually tasted with food to see how the wines develop over the course of a meal and also tasted, sometimes multiple times, on visits to Valdeorras – were wines that express the best qualities of the Godello grape, which when made into wine with minimal intervention, expressed the terroir and climate of its vineyard and shows a true sense of place. A Coroa, a winery I have visited half a dozen times and followed its progress through several vintages, always ranks high in any tasting of Godellos, because of its balance, delicious fruit and mineral transmitting qualities. Casal Novo from Adega O Casal near the village of Rubía and a mile or so from Guítián is also such a wine. The owners, whose consulting enologist is José Luís Murcía, who has more than 20 years experience making Godello in Valdeorras and consults to eight other wineries, somehow manage to capture the essence of their grapes and vineyard site and transmit that in the bottle like few others. In New York, earlier this year, it was a favorite of wine aficionados at a seminar sponsored by Wines From Spain. Quite by accident, last year, at Yayo Daporta, one of the top restaurants in Galicia, I was offered sommelier Esther Daporta’s last bottle of Casal Novo 2006. “Si no es bueno,” she said, “we will take it back with no problems.” The wine was exceptional, better in fact that when I had tasted it at the winery when it was released. Santorum, one of the top wines in my tastings, is a new Godello making its first appearance this year. It is the product of a collaboration between importer Steve Miles (SMS Selections) and one of the partners in a winery that Steve Miles formerly imported, Viña Somoza, which in recent years has attempted to use lees stirring and wood as markers for its wines. Louro do Boulo, Rafael Palacios’s second wine, now that he has abandoned the plastic stopper he was using for some bottling, I found preferable to his more expensive, leesy, barrel fermented As Sortes, which in my experience I have found, like the 2008 I recently drank, to have deteriorated precipitously with bottle age. There are numerous other Valdeorras Godellos in the market that don’t yet rate high enough to merit being included in our limited space, but I have included four wines from noteworthy wineries: two from Ribeira Sacra, the stunning Pena das Donas Almalarga and the ambitious Domino do Bibei; one from neighboring Bierzo, Mengoba from the talented palate of Gregory Pérez, who apprenticed under star winemaker, Mariano García: and from Monterrei, the emerging Galician D.O. just south of Valdeorras, Amizade, a new Godello made by Gerardo Méndez, the producer of the exceptional Do Ferreiro Albariños of Rías Baixas." - - Excert from Spain’s Godello: The Valley of Gold’s Answer to Expensive Chardonnay, Sommelier Journal, January 15 2012

Barrio de Las Letras (Literary Quarter): Miguel de Cervantes & Lope de Vega with Glimpses of Quevedo, Calderón de la Barca, Lorca and Hemingway Stop in for a tapa at the funky old tapas bar-deli Casa Gonzalez Calle León, 12 28014 Madrid 914 29 56 18 In this neighborhood are a slew of tapas bars. I will list some of them shortly.

Great to hear from you, Paul. I had not heard this, but I am not surprised by it. Whatever Tintilla de Rota red wine vineyards disappeared were for than compensated for by the economic boon to the region from American money pouring in to build and maintain the base at Rota, which still employs many locals. Tintilla de Rota is apparently the same grape or, at least very similar, to Rioja's Graciano. I also found this on the very fine Fringe Wine blog, whose author has concluded after a good deal of research that Tintilla de Rota is Graciano: "Tintilla de Rota is used in both table wine and fortified wine production around the Sherry region of Spain. Rota is the name of a town in the Sherry region whose sandy soils are particularly well suited to the cultivation of the Tintilla grape. It has been known in this region since the 1500's, but was pushed to the brink of extinction in the 1950's as an American military base was constructed where many Tintilla vines were once planted. The wine that I was able to find was the fortified version from Emilio Lustau, which I picked up my friends at the Spirited Gourmet for about $45 (I believe Curtis Liquors carries this as well). To make this wine, the grapes are picked and then left out in the sun for two or three weeks to dry out. They are then placed in tubs and covered with mats to minimize the amount of air contact. They're left in the tubs for about a month and periodically stirred before being pressed. The wine is fortified to about 17% (mine was 17.5%) and then aged for awhile in casks before being bottled." Because of my opposition to these spoofulated wines, I have been called everything from a hopeless romantic to a wine Taliban. I find it ironic that now, years later, when sales of such wines are sinking like a stone in the water, that Spanish wine writers have suddenly begun drifting towards the lower alcohol, less manipulated position that I have held all along. I am very flattered, Paul. Many of us served, because in the day, there was little choice in the matter, short of running to Canada or having "Fuck the Army" tatooed on one's hand as a friend of mine did to get out of going to the military during the Vietnam War. Whatever I have done, it has always been for my love of Spain.

I have not tasted in Priorat for a couple of years now, but I will get to some notes from my last tastings. I have become less and less interested in Priorat in the past few years because of high alcohol, excess oaking and very high prices. However, I am very high on Ribeira Sacra artisan reds, those that are not made in the international style. Below are some recommendations, following by John Gilman's reviews of my wines. Ribeira Sacra wines, my listing of wines currently in the market, following by John B. Gilman’s View From The Cellar (http://www.viewfromthecellar.com) reviews of my own Spanish Artisan Wine Group-Gerry Dawes Selections wines (Available in New York now, in the Washington, D.C. area after the first of the year). Except when noted as in the case of white Godello-based wines, these are all Mencía red wines, usually with field blends that include some 3-5% Garnarcha Tintorera, Brancellao and/or Merenzao and other Galician red wine grapes. Adega Algueira, Amandi Subregion (made by the peripatetic and controversial enologist, Raúl Pérez) Algueira Enológica Témera, Ribeiras do Sil Subregion Alodio Mencía Thémera (sic), D. Ventura, Losada Fernández, Ferreira de Pantón (Lugo), Ribeiras do Minho (Consultant Gerardo Méndez of Rías Baixas’s Do Ferreiro; some of these wines may have small percentages of Brancellao and Garnacha; all are stunning, unoaked wines and incredible bargains.) Viña do Burato Pena do Lobo Viña Caneiro Dominio do Bibei, Manzaneda (Ourense), Quiroga-Bibei (Sara Pérez and René Barbier, Jr., consultants) La Pola Godello (usually with some 40% Dona Blanca grapes; more like a Meursault than a Godello from this region.) La Lama (mencía, garnacha, moratón) Guímaro, Pedro M. Rodríguez Pérez, Sober (Lugo), Amandi (Raúl Pérez, consultant) *Guímaro Mencía Guímaro B2M (Mencía field-blended with small amounts of caíño tinto; aged 14 months in oak; 2500 bottles made; 13.5%) Was very similar to El Pecado 2007 [see note] at $25 less . El Pecado Ribeira Sacra (the first vintage from 2007 was sold as Guímaro Barrica in Spain forfar less than the $75 price tag it commanded in the U.S.; the label said 100 per cent mencía, but the wine was 80 per cent mencía, 10 per cent caíño tinto and 10 per cent garnacha tintorera (alicante bouchet); fermented in 1,500 liter egg-shaped barrels from Austria for 12 months with battonage; 13.5% alcohol). My note Ripe, extracted red fruits, oak and some minerality. Deep extracted attractive red currant fruit, very juicy acidity, rustic touches, oak and minerals, a laudable example of a modern Spanish wine made to fit a commercial profile. (Note: This Raúl Pérez wine was been rated by Jay Miller at 98 points, but while I found it to be a good wine, I rated it 93 points, but noted that it did not seemt to be a prime example of Ribeira Sacra.) Pena das Donas, Pombeiro, Pantón (Lugo), Ribeiras do Minho Almalarga Godello (13%) Beautiful nose of lime, white peach and minerals. Soft, silky and well balanced with lovely, sweet white peach fruit, and a haunting, lingering bitter almond and mineral finish. I have rated some vintages of this wine at 96 points. Exceptional value. Verdes Matas Mencía (12.5%) Pomegranate, currant and mineral nose. Balanced, perfectly ripe and rich, with plenty or juicy cranberry, pomegranate and currant flavors, dark chocolate and a long, complex, mineral-laced finish. I have rated this wine at 93 points in the past. Ribeira Sacra (and other Mencía-based Reds) 2011 Don Bernardino Mencía (Ribeira Sacra) As noted above, Don Bernardino is the wine of restaurateur, Emilio Rodríguez Diaz, whose O Grelo restaurant is in the town of Monforte de Lemos. The steep vineyards for his red wine lie in the village of Amandi, overlooking the Sil River. I tasted two vintage of this terrific Mencía, with the 2011 being the slightly riper of the two vintages at thirteen percent (in comparison to the 12.5 percent of the 2010), but with both wines proving to be absolutely outstanding. The 2011 Don Bernardino offers up a vibrant nose of pomegranate, black cherries, a beautiful base of slate, a touch of lead pencil and a gentle topnote of woodsmoke. On the palate the wine is deep, fullish and very classy, with excellent intensity of flavor, bright acids and excellent length and grip on the focused and bouncy finish. Just a classic example of Mencía. 2012-2020. 92+. 2011 Décima Amandi Mencía - José Manuel Rodríguez (Ribeira Sacra) José Manuel Rodríguez is the head of the growers’ association and regulatory agency of Ribeira Sacra, and makes one of the finest examples of Mencía I have ever had the pleasure to taste. Like the Don Bernardino Mencía, these two lovely vintages of Décima hail from very steep vineyards overlooking the Sil River in the village of Amandi. The 2011 Décima weighs in at a very classic octane of 12.5 percent and roars from the glass in a sophisticated and utterly classic nose of pomegranate, lead pencil, slate, a nice touch of gamebird, coffee bean and a gentle medicinal topnote that is vaguely reminiscent of Hermitage. On the palate the wine is fullish, complex and very intensely flavored, with laser-like focus, fine mid-palate depth, tangy acids and great length and grip on the very softly tannic finish. Utterly classic Mencía! 2012-2020+. 94. 2010 Toalde Mencía- Roberto Regal, Chantada (Ribeira Sacra) Roberto Regal’s production is miniscule, as he owns only about one hectare of Mencía vines here in a very steep vineyard overlooking the Miño River. There are just a handful of older indigenous varieties also in the vineyard here, so Señor Regal makes a field blend of these with his Mencía to produce this superb wine. The 2011 Toalde is outstanding, offering up a deep and complex bouquet of black cherries, pomegranate, a touch of nutskin, a lovely base of slate and granitic minerality, smoke and a gentle topnote of fresh herbs. On the palate the wine is deep, fullish, long and very sappy in the mid-palate, with fine focus and balance and a long, suave and bouncy finish. This is a lovely wine. 2012-2018. 91+. 2011 Don Bernardino Godello (Ribeira Sacra) Don Bernardino is the wine label for restaurateur, Emilio Rodríguez Diaz, whose O Grelo restaurant is located in the town of Monforte de Lemos - effectively the capital of the Ribeira Sacra region. His 2010 Godello is excellent, weighing in at a ripe and pure thirteen percent and offering up a beautiful nose of peach, lime peel, a lovely base of soil, just a whisper of honeycomb and a gently smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, fullish, pure and very classy, with excellent mid-palate depth, fine focus, crisp acids and outstanding balance and grip on the snappy and soil-driven finish. Just a superb bottle of Godello. 2012-2020. 92. 2011 Don Bernardino Mencía (Ribeira Sacra) As noted above, Don Bernardino is the wine of restaurateur, Emilio Rodríguez Diaz, whose O Grelo restaurant is in the town of Monforte de Lemos. The steep vineyards for his red wine lie in the village of Amandi, overlooking the Sil River. I tasted two vintage of this terrific Mencía, with the 2011 being the slightly riper of the two vintages at thirteen percent (in comparison to the 12.5 percent of the 2010), but with both wines proving to be absolutely outstanding. The 2011 Don Bernardino offers up a vibrant nose of pomegranate, black cherries, a beautiful base of slate, a touch of lead pencil and a gentle topnote of woodsmoke. On the palate the wine is deep, fullish and very classy, with excellent intensity of flavor, bright acids and excellent length and grip on the focused and bouncy finish. Just a classic example of Mencía. 2012-2020. 92+. (Gilman rated the 2010 at 94 pts.) 2010 Sabatelius Mencía- Primitivo Lareu (Ribeira Sacra) (out of stock) Primitivo Lareu is a superb winemaker on the far western end of Ribeira Sacra, located in the sub-region of Chantada, which happens to be the coolest vineyard area in all of Ribeira Sacra. In addition to his winegrowing responsibilities, Señor Lareu is also a sculptor and painter, but first and foremost these days, he is a serious viticulturist bent on extracting as much terroir from his vineyards and producing as transparent a glass of wine as possible. His 2010 Mencía is outstanding, offering up a stunning and sappy nose of pomegranate, black cherries, woodsmoke, beautifully complex herbal tones, espresso and a superb base of stony, slate soil. On the palate the wine is deep, medium-full and dancing on the palate, with superb lightness of step coupled to excellent intensity. The wine is impressively complex and focused, with bright acids, little tannin and outstanding length and grip on the bouncy finish. Superb juice. 2012-2020+. 93+. 2010 Toalde Mencía - Roberto Regal (Ribeira Sacra) The 2010 Toalde from Roberto Regal is excellent, wafting from the glass in a smoky mélange of dark berries, black cherries, espresso, tree bark, stony soil tones, fresh herbs and woodsmoke. On the palate the wine is deep, fullish and intensely flavored, with lovely transparency, very good mid-palate depth and superb length and grip on the focused and complex finish. This wine is very light on its feet and yet packs plenty of intensity. I suspect it will prove to be a touch longer-lived than the equally fine 2011 Toalde bottling. Classic Ribeira Sacra. 2012-2020+. 92. 2010 Viña Cazoga Mencía - Jorge Carnero (Ribeira Sacra) Viña Cazoga has a long history of fine wine production in the Ribeira Sacra and was once one of the largest and most important estates in the area, but during the nadir of the region’s fortunes- which really started at the dawn of the twentieth century, when so many of these steep vineyard sites were abandoned and young people emigrated en masse in search of more profitable work- Jorge Carnero’s family’s vineyard holdings in the village of Amandi dwindled down to almost nothing. Jorge’s grandfather, Raimundo Vidal, was instrumental in starting to resurrect the Ribeira Sacra region in the 1970s and today the family owns a single, 3.9 hectare parcel of vines right above the Sil River that was long recognized as the finest vineyard in Ribeira Sacra. Almost the entire vineyard is planted with vines in excess of one hundred years of age, with ninety-five percent planted to Mencía and the balance made up of a mix of Tempranillo and Merenzao. The 2010 Viña Cazoga Mencía is a beautiful wine, offering up a deep, very intense and complex nose of black cherries, pomegranate, black pepper, a touch of spiced meats, slate soil tones, espresso and a topnote of cigar smoke. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very sappy at the core, with great focus and grip, excellent balance, bright acids, virtually no tannins and outstanding length and grip on the dancing and palate-staining finish. Great Ribeira Sacra! 2012-2020. 94. 2008 Viña Cazoga “Don Diego” Mencía - Jorge Carnero (Ribeira Sacra) The Don Diego bottling from Jorge Carnero spends six to twelve months of its elevage in four year-old, five hundred liter French oak barrels prior to bottling and is released after further bottle age. Even using four year-old barrels, the Mencía grape still shows a fair bit of wood influence in this wine, which does make for a markedly different impression than the stainless steel-aged regular bottling. The 2008 offers up a very deep and classy nose of black cherries, bitter chocolate, woodsmoke, lovely soil tones and a nice, generous touch of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and quite suave on the attack, with a bit less overtly terroir-derived soil tones in evidence. The finish is very long and moderately tannic, and though the wine is focused nicely, there is not quite the same purity and blazing transparency here as is found in the 2010 regular bottling. This is still a very well-made wine, but it seems that the oak takes away a bit more than it adds to the final blend. 2012-2025. 90.

Don, now tell me the truth. How many Godellos have you drunk since Galicia? Have you had Casal Novo? Any of the Valdesil Godellos? Pena das Donas Alma Larga? My Do Barreirio A Silveira? D. Berna? Amizade from Monterreis, made by the great Gerardo Mendez of Do Ferreiro fame? This is chardonnay before they screwed chardonay up. But it has wonderful white peach flavors and close to the peach stone flavors and, when you don't barrel ferment it and battonage it to death, Godello transmits terroir like few grapes, IMHO.

There is a footnote in the book, United States of Arugula, in which Tom Colicchio, who was brought into the Chefs From Hell by Thomas Keller, something I never forgave Keller for ;-), tells about having so much fun laughing at one of our lunches that he puked. And the first time Martha Stewart got up to do my mandatory "tell us what is going on in your life" post luncheon segment, she managed to work the "F" word in to let us know that she was really one of the group. Other than that, except once at The Water Club when Andy Pforzheimer stuck a big plastic beetle in one of Rick Moonen's salads, which I then sent back to the kitchen via a tuxedoed waiter, instructing the waiter to tell the chef to take more care in cleaning his greens, then getting the bug back, bathed in chocolate on my petit fours plate, we seldom had much fun. Unless you count the empty chair we always had at each luncheon, the official Chef-in-Court chair; if the chef currently in question was able to get out of court or had been released from jail in time for lunch, then we would have nobody to talk about, so we didn't have much fun. Some chefs were pissed because I made them check their cutlery at the door--this actually happened--because I didn't want to run the risk of having them try to carve up their sous chef who had just run off with half the kitchen crew to open a new restaurant. To avoid other kinds of violence, I made chefs who were enemies sit a opposite ends of the table. Galicia, because it is off the beaten track. It has some of the best wines in Spain, along with some phenomenal food, including probably the best shellfish in the world, including exceptional scallops, the best octopus and to-die-for crustaceans and molluscs, great empanadas and country stews. Galicia is beautiful and still relatively unspoiled in many parts. I am convinced that parts of Ribeira Sacra, the most awesomely beautiful wine region on earth, can produce artisanal red wines as good as Burgundy and that the best Godellos in Ribeira Sacra and Valdeorras rival all but the very best Chardonnays from the best crus of Burgundy. Neighboring Asturias is another sleeper. It has only a miniscule amount of wine, but great cider and a multitude of some of the best cheeses in the world and bean dishes like verdinas con mariscos (green flageolot-type beans cooked with crab, shrimp and/or clams) and fabada asturiana, along with arroz con leche with a creme brulee-like caramelized crust. Then you add some of the most awesomely beautiful high mountain scenery and seashore in Spain, bucolic mountain villages saved by cheese making and colorful fishing ports and Asturias is a paradise, a place to get away from it all. I think almost none, as far as Americans are concerned. They, like many Occupy movements (and most are not a part of Occupy movements, just private citizens desperate for government help in solving the "crisis"), are railing against system abuses and their own politicians. I have been with the Indignados en both Barcelona and Madrid on four different occasions and no one even questioned me. It is the police busting heads without reason--with Catalan cops (!) imitating the police of the Franco dictatorship in Barcelona last spring--that has caused the problems. The people taking to the streets, as they are doing all over the world, are tired of the banks and powers that be fucking them out of their houses and their living, because of the gross re-distribution of wealth from the middle class and the poor to the filthy rich over the past thirty years. I am flattered that you and Don actually mention me on your fine blogs.

Cotton starts growing 40 miles south of where I was born in Southern Illiniois and raised and we are all a bunch of Goddamn hillbillies, ridge-runners and the like. Where I grew up damn near everybody had a gun and at one point, when a jealous husband was after my ass, I had a seven-shot automatic Beretta with a slug in the chamber that I carried in my Mustang. One night I got shit-faced and left it stuck in the sun visor of my car then took the car the next morning to my buddy's dad's filling station to get the car washed. My buddy, Mike, was working for his dad that weekend and was cleaning up my car, when he flipped down the visor and the damned gun fell into his lap with the barrel pointing straight at his head. He damned near shit. Now, I am a flaming radical progressive revolutionary and I don't own a gun anymore, which is probably a mistake since I think that every liberal ought to own two guns, so we can have sensible discussions with people like Ted Nugent. Well, damn, Don, you can sleep when you die! As I learned a long time ago from people like the great Bob Haas of Vineyard Brands, when you are working in wine country, you are not there to lollygag and just hang out, you are there to cover some ground. You don't stay in fancy hotels, because you are only in them for a few hours a night, they cost too much money and there is just not the luxury of ambling to a couple of wineries a day. I have seen up to six wineries in a day and tasted 110 wines one day, but the latter was not in Spain, that was in France.In Spain, I usually drive a couple hundred kilometers to make a noon appointment at one winery, then have lunch with as many as a half dozen artisan winemakers, then visit one or two in the afternoon, before driving to the next region, where I might stay for two nights. In this last trip in October, I had my lady love, my spousal equivalent (SE), Kay, with me, who didn't slow me down at all, probably much to her chagrin. We covered 3,500 kilometers in ten days, going from Madrid to Ribera de Arlanza to La Rioja, dipping briefly into Navarra, then Bierzo, Galicia for a week, Asturias, Cigales and back home. Damn, Don, what are you going to do if you break down out there on that highway and you haven't had even a tapa for hours on end? Well, the place we stopped on the way to Madrid for lunch, was in Arévalo, which is famous for having some of the best roast suckling pig in Spain and is an important town in the history of Isabeline Spain (the rise and reign of Queen Isabel I of Columbus fame). I had not been there for a least a decade or two, so I plotted it for lunch. It is important to have the best pig in the place known for the best pig every so often to calibrate your palate and have the experience to weigh every other roast suckling pig encounter against. Arévalo is in Ávila, which along with the neighboring province of Segovia is famous throughout Spain for roast suckling pig, like Roa de Duero and Aranda de Duero in Burgos province are for roast suckling lamb. Yes, at different times I have read a reasonable amount of Steinbeck's writing, but, despite my year in Monterey, California, which was Steinbeck country, I took Rocinante as the name of my noble VW sedam, which used to grow more tire tread spontaneously at night, from the name of Don Quixote's horse, as did Steinbeck. In Spain, some ex-Pat types and itinerant bullfight aficionados used to call Don Quixote and my ex-wife, or course, was Sancha. That is not my biography, it is a small slice of my life. My biography is much longer and in many places not suitable for reading in places that might reach Christian women and children.

Dinner at Casa Lucio Casa Lucio on Cava Baja is one of my favorite restaurants in Madrid. It is one of the best known restaurants in Madrid and reservations are hard to come by, but Lucio Blásquez, Mari (his daughter) and Javier (one of his sons) treat me like a long-lost family member when I show up and somehow manage to find me a table. Get the boquereones en vinagre con olivas gordas (house-cured anchovies en vinegar, served with fat green olives), huevos estrellados (just fried potatoes topped with "broken" fried eggs), alcachofas con jamón (artichoke hearts cooked with ham) and chuletón (steak). Have bottle of Chivite's Viña Salceda Crianza Tinto or a bottle of rosado and have fun. There may be better food in Madrid, but this place is super Madrid, Damon Runyon-esque, every night, especially on Sunday night, when other restaurants are closed. Tell Javier, Lucio's son, who speaks English that I sent you and maybe it will help you get a table.

Churrería San Gines, Madrid For chocolate and churros, purported to be one of the great hangover preventers in the world. This place stays open most of the night.

Group Lezama's Café de Oriente in Madrid: Platos de Cuchara (dishes eaten with a spoon) and Other Dishes from Chef Pedro Quían; The Solemn Changing of the Guard at the Palacio Real; Celebration of Chinese New Year in La Plaza de Oriente (A restaurant owned by the same group founded by Padre Luis de Lezama of Washington's Taberna del Alabardero.) At Café de Oriente, one of the great platos de cuchara is verdinas (young, green, flageolot-type beans) cooked with centollo (spider crab), a specialty of northern Spain, especially in Asturias.

Madrid: Restaurante Botín, the Oldest Continually Operated Restaurant in the World and Still a Favorite of Mine (A photographic essay.)

From my article on Departures website, the not-to-be missed Mercado de San Miguel. Just do not go on a weekend evening. Mercado de San Miguel Madrid Since re-opening in 2009 after a multi-year restoration project, El Mercado de San Miguel, one of Madrid’s oldest markets, has become the hottest tapas destination in town. Just steps from the Plaza Mayor, it draws shoppers and noshers by day; at night, the place is full of madrileños nibbling slices of smoked salmon, sheer slivers of jamón ibérico de bellota (ham from acorn-fed, black-hoofed pigs) and fresh shellfish, like carbineros (large scarlet prawns), while sipping wines and Champagnes from Pinkleton & Wine. There’s an oyster bar, a pickle-and-olive stand and a caviar joint, and impeccable cheeses are on offer at José Luis Martín’s Fromagerie. The Mercado de San Miguel is a must—just don’t go on a weekend night, when the place is jam-packed. Plaza San Miguel (just off La Plaza Mayor), Madrid. Where to Stay: Near the Prado is the venerable, newly refurbished Palace Hotel (rooms, from $485; 7 Plaza de las Cortes; 34-913/608-000), where Hemingway placed some of the final scenes in The Sun Also Rises. Salvador Dalí, Federico García Lorca and Luís Buñuel all frequented the bar. Among the alternate choices are the ultra-modern Hotel Urban (rooms, from $300; 34 Carrera de San Jerónimo; 34-917/877-770), whose Glass Bar is one of the liveliest places in Madrid for an aperitif or a late-night drink, and the Hotel Wellington (rooms, from $310; 8 Calle Velázquez; 34-915/754-400) in the silk-stocking Barrio de Salamanca.

Thanks for your questions, Jake. Actually, thouigh Lopez de Heredia is unique and different from other Riojas, there are two other major wineries that are similar in style in many ways, La Rioja Alta and Marques de Murrieta. The other great classical Riojas, CUNE, Marques de Riscal and Bodegas Riojanas, are quite different in style. I believe Valdespino, which is now owned by Jose Estevez, makes a Jerez Quina. My best, Gerry The Spanish Artisan Wine Group - Gerry Dawes Selections

Sorry, Dave, I didn't get to this one. In Spain, waiting is generally a profession, not a temporary job while waiting for something else. If the service is good, I usually tip 5-10% on the bill, even though service is supposedly included. Spaniards usually leave leftover change and small bills, In tapas bars and for cafe, the remaining change or a couple of Euros for a larger bill. How do they manage to stay and business (and many prosper)? Perhaps lower costs, way lower rents and a national health care system, plus since in many places prices are fairly reasonable, they also make a lot on drinks, especially after dinner drinks. My best, Gerry The Spanish Artisan Wine Group - Gerry Dawes Selections

Many thanks for you kind welcome, Dave. Botin, which at times by writers and visitors who failed to understand it has been called very touristy (over the past several years, I am hearing more and more Spanish spoken at nearby tables), but that misses the point. It is a classic and the classic Castilian food is always good. Of course, I can take you to this place that might be better for roast suckling pig or lamb or morcilla or gazpacho, but you can get all of those at Botin, with very good service, a good wine list and a terrific atmosphere. Just relax and enjoy Botin, which exudes history from the walls. It has been in this spot, continually operating since 1725 and it is a family run business. Even Ferran Adrià, who did completely revolutionize, not only Spain's, but the world's idea of no limits creativity in food did not try to sweep away the traditional cuisines of Spain. He put food into another dimension, but at the same time became the catalyst for the greatest evolutionary movement in Spanish traditional cooking in history and that, in my opinion, includes the Columbine exchange when ingredients such as tomatoes and peppers were first introduced to Europe. Many young Spanish chefs followed the cocina de vanguardia movement, but the expansion of so-called easy money in the 1990s and up to 2008s still was not enough to sustain an elBulli on every corner in Spain, nor was there really the popular interest, outside of hardbound foodies, to support it, so many of these young chefs, now trained in modern techniques returned to their home towns or home regions and opened restaurants that served traditional cuisine, but with some reasonable modern twists. The result has been that traditional cuisine in Spain is better than I think it ever has been in Spain's history. Likewise, because of the fame of Ferran, American chefs began seeking to do their stages in Spain, instead of France, and in the process became exposed to traditional Spanish tapas bars and restaurants, especially in Catalunya and the Basque Country, but elsewhere as well, such as in Alicante and Valencia. My best, Gerry The Spanish Artisan Wine Group - Gerry Dawes Selections

Dear Mark, When you get to Botin, ask for Antonio Gonzalez padre (or Antonio Gonzalez hijo) and tell them that I sent you. You may want to ask Antonio to show you his copy of Fiesta (The Sun Also Rises) and read about Botin in the last pages of the book. Since you will be going to Botin, stop and have a look a Mercado de San Miguel, just up the street and another night, go to El Escaldon, further down the street for Canary Islands patatas arrugadas con mojo ("wrinkled" potatoes with green and red mojo sauces), then go to bar at Casa Lucio and have a tapa of boquerones en vinagre con olivas gordas (house-cured fresh anchovies in vinagrette with fat green olives), washed down with glasses of draft beer, manzanilla sherry or rosado from La Rioja. For your top end restaurant, see if you can wangle a reservation at Diverxo. I will be giving you some more tips for restaurants and tapas bars in Madrid and Sevilla shortly. Please let me know if you are going to be traveling from Sevilla on day trips to Jerez, Sanlucar de Barrameda or to Cadiz. I just got off the phone a hour ago with Javier Hidalgo of Bodegas Hidalgo - La Gitana sherries (today is his birthday) and I am sure I can arrange a visit for you and your wife to this fabulous bodega. Buen Viaje, Gerry

Dear Don, I am very flattered and humbled by your kind comments and your steadfast support of me and my love of Spain over the years. I very much welcome the chance to answer some questions and share some of my knowldege and opinions with your followers from the Washington, D.C. area and . I don't get down to the Washington D.C. area as much as I want to, but I plan to come down more often this year. I already have had great feedback on my wines from people such as José Andrés, Max Kuller at Estadio, the great Mark Furstenberg of Remarkable Breads and my long, long time and very dear friend Janet Cam. Hopefully, by the first of the year my wines will be in Washington, Maryland and Virginia. I am looking for a good distributor who understands my philosophy about artisan wines with lower alcohol, little or no oak and discernible terroir (sense of place), so if anyone wants to put me in touch with the right people, I would be very grateful. As you know, I also do customized, private tours of Spain that I tailor for each group of travellers. I can be reached about any of this by e-mail at gerrydawes@aol.com, though I would appreciate keeping any general questions confined to this forum. My best, Gerry The Spanish Artisan Wine Group - Gerry Dawes Selections

Tasting BAR (From tasting notes for Dec. - Jan. 2005 Wine News Cava article by Gerry Dawes) It has been six years since I undertook such an extensive Cava tasting and the strides in quality are quite remarkable. Such producers as Agustí Torelló Mata, Raventós i Blanc, Parxet, Gramona, Juvé y Camps, Mont Marçal, Castell Roig, Castillo de Perelada and Privat are now delivering the types of characteristics one expects from Champagne, except that the prices for some of these Cavas are astoundingly inexpensive, given their quality. Many, too, are now vintage dated, whereas a few years back most were not. Perhaps the most pleasant surprise is the plethora of delicious, charming rosado Cavas, many of which are pinot noir based. Rather than being sugar-loaded caramelos, they are largely dry and exceptionally food friendly. Although few display the ethereal salmon color often associated with great rosé Champagne — most are much darker in color — quality can be first-rate, and their price tags place them among the sleeper bargains of the wine world. Of the nearly 50 Cavas tasted, only one scored below 86 points, and just one was corked. Agustí Torelló Mata Founded in 1954, this exceptional Cava producer is considered by many Spanish critics to be the best in the field. Only indigenous varieties are employed in these exceptionally well-made wines. 1999 Brut Nature Gran Reserva (45% macabeo, 32% parellada; 23% xarel-lo; aged a minimum of two years; 3,500 magnums) — $125: Green-gold hue; fine, steady, active bead. Clean and pretty yeasty lemon and orange peel scents. Lemony, elegant and delicious. Great mouth-feel with a long, lovely, dry finish. A Spanish stunner. Score: 95 2000 Kripta Gran Reserva (49% macabeo, 26% parellada; 25% xarel-lo) — $70: Green-gold straw hue; fine, steady, diffuse bead. Sweet, pretty fruity, toasty nose. Well-made, first-rate, delicious Cava full of character with a long, lively, complex toasted almond finish. Eclipses many Champagnes. Score: 94 2001 Brut Nature Reserva Barrica (old vines macabeo; four months in oak) — $36: Gold-tinged straw hue. Big nose of oak, yeast, white plum, lychee; very fine, active bead. A full-flavored, gutsy mouthful, but somewhat marred by the oak, which blocks the finish. However, this serious old-vines macabeo “Krug impersonation” is very well made and oak lovers will like it. Score: 88 2001 Brut Nature Gran Reserva (42% macabeo, 28% xarel-lo, 30% parellada; old vines grown in Penedès; disgorged August 2005) — $27: Pale green-straw hue; very lively bead. Pretty nose of orange citrus and yeast aromas with hints of apricot and lychee. Very clean, full flavored, fruity, stylish, elegant and dry, but not austere; well-rounded and delicious with light honeysuckle, apricot, citrus, yeast and spice flavors. Score: 90 > 2002 Brut Reserva (46% macabeo, 26% xarel-lo, 28% parellada — all from old vines grown in Penedès; disgorged September, 2005) — $20: Gold-straw hue; fine, profuse bead. Needs more time in bottle to develop bouquet, for now it is light, clean and yeasty. Very dry, crisp, elegant and yeasty; nice mouth-feel with a citric finish that should develop complexity with more post-disgorgement bottle age. Score: 88 2003 Brut Rosat Trepat — $23: Strawberry-salmon color. Light, fresh nose of orange peel and yeast. Rich, gutsy, lovely mouthful of delicious red fruit with hints of orange peel. Very well-integrated acid, yeast, fruit and alcohol. Score: 90 Can Feixes Huguet An Alt Penedès family wine business that dates to 1768. 2002 Brut Nature Gran Reserva (60% parellada, 25% pinot noir, 10% macabeo, 5% chardonnay; blends vary with vintage; aged a minimum of 30 months) — $25: Pale straw hue; very active, medium bead. Notes of yeast, apricot and lychee in the nose. Very clean, citrusy and very dry, but not teeth-jarring; balanced and fruity with hints of apricot and citrus peel flavors; spicy, yeasty finish. Score: 88 Castillo de Perelada Founder Miguel Mateu bought the castle estate in 1914 and discovered a 14th century cellar where wine was once made. He couldn’t resist making it there again, and today turns out highly regarded still wines from Empordà-Costa Brava and Cava from Sant Sadurní D’Anoia. The Castillo de Perelada is now a museum and high-class casino, too. NV Brut Reserva (40% macabeo, 30% xarel-lo, 30% parellada) — $10: Gold-tinged straw hue; very active bead. Lightly floral nose of citrus and yeast. Very lively and frothy in the mouth, perhaps excessively so, with clean, dry, floral, honeysuckle and lemon flavors. Score: 87 2001 Cuvée Especial Brut Nature (40% macabeo, 30% xarel-lo, 20% parellada, 10% chardonnay) — $15: Bright green-straw hue. Citrus, yeast, lychee, light peach and honeysuckle in the nose. Dry, refreshing, full-bodied flavors of white peach, citrus and yeast with a long, pleasant finish. Score: 88 NV Brut Rosado (45% monastrell, 30% garnacha, 25% trepat) — $13: Dark strawberry-cherry hue; very active, fine bead. Fresh, yeasty, pie cherry, clove and cinnamon nose. Concentrated, delicious pie cherry and strawberry flavors; dry and well made. Score: 88 Cavas Hill Founded in 1887 by a family that traces its wine heritage to a 17th-century English immigrant, Joseph Hill, who settled in Penedès. 2001 Brut Brutisimo Gran Reserva Añada (35% macabeo, 30% xarel-lo, 25% parellada, 10% chardonnay) — $25: Pale straw hue; fine, active bead. Fresh citrus and vanilla nose. Very lively and palate cleansing with generous nutty, yeasty flavors; long, spicy, lemony finish. Score: 88 NV Brut Rosado (60% garnacha, 40% monastrell; aged 18 months) — $15: Very dark strawberry-cherry red hue; fine bead. Yeast and light red fruit nose. Pleasant, gutsy mouthful of strawberry-cherry fruit, very much like a light red wine. Score: 87 Codorníu Once the largest producer of sparkling wine in the world, Codorníu is now focusing on quality at reasonable prices. NV Original 1872 (40% macabeo, 30% parellada, 20% xarel-lo, 10% chardonnay) — $9: Light straw-gold hue; active, medium bead; nice mousse. Fruity, yeasty, lychee nut and coconut aromas and flavors; clean, medium body; long, spicy finish. Score: 87 NV Cuvée Raventós Brut (50% chardonnay, 25% macabeo, 25% xarel-lo) — $12: Gold straw hue; fine, active bead. Cinnamon, clove and classic Champagne-like toast and yeast aromas on the nose. Nice, rich mouthful with flavors of spice, clove, yeast and toast; long, spicy finish. Score: 88 NV Brut Pinot Noir — $14: Salmon-strawberry hue; long, fine bead. Pretty, fruity, yeasty, strawberry and raspberry nose. Rich, deep raspberry, strawberry and yeasty flavors; long, dry finish. Score: 89 Enric Nadal (Finca Nadal de la Boadella) A winegrowing estate established in 1510, Nadal has been producing Cava since 1943. NV Brut Rosat Pinot Noir — $15: Medium strawberry-salmon color; medium bead, not overtly active. Fresh, clean and dry with obvious strawberry fruit flavors. Score: 86 Freixenet Founded in 1889, Cataluña’s mega-house is the largest méthode champenoise wine producer in the world. 2000 Brut Nature (40% macabeo, 30% parellada, 30% xarel-lo) — $14: Pale green-straw hue. Apple, citrus, yeasty nose. Bone dry and palate cleansing, elegant, light apple and citrus flavors with a spicy finish. Score: 87 Gramona The family wine roots, on both the Gramona and Batlle sides, go back to the 19th century. A light dosage, made from a family solera liqueur established in the early 1900s, is employed here. 1997 Celler Batlle Vintage (70% xarelo-lo, 30% macabeo; aged 6-8 years) — $80: Green-gold hue; fine, active bead. Clean, fruity nose with yeast and toast. Beautifully made, delicious, richly flavored, yet elegant, lovely, well-aged Cava with superb balance and a long, clean finish. Score: 92 2001 Brut Imperial Gran Reserva (40% xarelo-lo, 40% macabeo, 20% chardonnay) — $25: Pale green-straw hue; fine, slow, steady bead. Big, characterful, rich nose of yeast, butter, flowers and lemons. Very frothy and juicy with lots of delicious flavors: orange, citrus, butter, nut and apricot. Beautiful balance of age and character. Score: 92 2002 Gran Cuvée (equal parts xarel-lo, macabeo, parellada) — $18: Deep gold-straw hue; very lively, fine bead. Big, pretty floral, fruity, yeasty nose. A gutsy, creamy, full-blown Cava with fruity melon, peach, apricot and honeysuckle flavors; stylish, very lively on the palate and balanced by a dry finish. Loads of character. Score: 90 NV Rosé (pinot noir; aged two years) — $35: Markedly deep strawberry-cherry hue; very fine, steady-release bead. Toasty red berry and clove nose. Light effervescence, like a light red wine with pétillance. A delicious, unique, fun wine. Score: 90 Josep Raventós i Blanc Estate fruit is grown on nearly 300 acres of vineyards planted on mostly caliza (chalky) soil similar to Champagne’s. Its founder, Josep-Maria Raventós, observes, “We can make brut nature sparkling wines easier than they can in Champagne, where there are far fewer hours of sun. And because of our climate, Cavas achieve a better balance of alcohol and acidity, [too].” NV Brut (60% macabeo, 20% parellada, 20% xarel-lo) — $15: Pale green-straw hue; fine, active bead. Light honeysuckle, citrus and apricot in the nose. Elegant, fruity flavors and a long, palate-cleansing, citrusy finish. Absolutely delicious. Score: 90 1999 Gran Reserva Brut Nature (40% xarel-lo, 35% macabeo, 20% parellada, 5% chardonnay; three years on the lees) — $25: Deep gold-straw hue; fine bead, medium activity. Very nice yeasty nose, light clove, honeysuckle, lychee and pineapple aromas. Rich, gutsy mouthful of delicious, beautifully made wine. One of Spain’s top Cavas. Score: 93 2000 Gran Reserva Brut Nature (40% xarel-lo, 35% macabeo, 20% parellada, 5% chardonnay; three years on the lees) — $25: Green-gold straw hue; fine, slow bead. Clean, fresh nose of lime and pineapple. Dry yet lively with rich flavors of toast, yeast, citrus and light honeysuckle. Long, lovely, elegant finish. An absolutely outstanding Cava. Score: 92 Juvé y Camps Approaching its 85th anniversary, and still trading on its artisanal image, this family-run winery makes superb Cavas, such as the Brut Natural Reserva De La Familia that employs only free-run juice from carefully selected grapes picked on three estates near San Sadurní d’Anoia. > 2000 Gran Juvé y Camps (40% macabeo, 40% parellada, 20% xarel-lo; aged 42 months; made only in exceptional vintages) — $36: Deep gold-straw hue; more diffuse, less lively bubbles. Big yeasty nose. Full of character with big, rich, toasty flavors and a long, complex finish. A first-rate wine that mirrors a very good, old Champagne. Score: 92 2001 Brut Natural Reserva de la Familia (40% macabeo, 40% parellada, 20% xarel-lo; three years on the lees) — $20: Deep gold-straw hue; fine, active bead. Yeasty nose with light peach aromas. Delicious yeasty, subtle peach-apricot and honeysuckle undertones and a long, clean, dry, palate-refreshing finish. Score: 90 NV Brut Rosé Pinot Noir — $20: Salmon-pink hue; fine, active bead. Strawberry, cherry, light yeast and citrus in the nose. Dry entry, lively on the palate with delicious red fruit flavors and a long, dry finish. Score: 89 Llopart The Llopart family, whose motto is ex Vite Vita (“From vineyards comes life”), traces its roots as viticulturists back to 1385, when an ancestor, Bernardus Leopardi, was granted vineyard lands on the present site. The firm has been producing quality sparkling wines since 1887. 2000 Leopardi Brut Nature (40% macabeo, 30% xarel-lo, 15% parellada, 15% chardonnay; aged 46 to 52 months on the lees) — $25: Medium straw hue; very active, fine bead. Nice citrus and yeast nose. Big, gutsy, mature, creamy flavors with peach, apricot, melon and lychee notes; a very dry finish. Score: 91 2002 Brut Rosé Reserva (60% monastrell, 40% garnacha) — $17: Dark strawberry-cherry hue; medium bead. Clean nose of clove and yeast. Lively, full-bodied mouthful of lightly sweet red fruit, clove and citrus. Score: 87 Marqués de Gelida A small estate producer that is widely distributed in the U.S. 2000 Brut Exclusive Reserva (35% macabeo, 30% xarel-lo, 20% parellada, 15% chardonnay) — $11: Pale green-straw hue; fine, lively bead. Pleasant, yeasty, citrus nose. Quite lemony on entry, followed by pleasant lychee and melon notes with refreshing citrus flavors and a dry finish. Score: 88 Marqués de Monistrol A nearly 1,000-acre estate based on a small medieval monastery property near Sant Sadurní D’Anoia, Marqués de Monistrol began making Cava in 1882. It is now a part of the giant Arco Bodegas Unidas wine group. NV Reserva Brut Selecció Especiale Rosé (100% monastrell) — $13: Pale salmon, very active bead. Cloves, plum and some funky aromas. Clean, frothy, and full flavored, but nicely balanced with clove and lightly sweet cherry notes; dry, but lightly brassy finish. Value priced. Score: 86 Mont Marçal Founded in 1975 by Spanish recording impresario Manuel Sancho on a 17th-century convent property encompassing 100 acres. NV Extremarium Brut de Mont Marçal (equal parts xarel-lo, parellada and macabeo) — $16: Deep gold-straw hue; medium, diffuse bead. Refined, citrus peel (lemon, orange) nose. Very lively, clean, balanced citrus flavors; refined and elegant on the palate with a long, spicy finish. Crafted in a blanc de blancs style with extended skin contact and more than two years on the lees. Score: 90 2001 Brut Reserva (equal parts macabeo, xarel-lo and parellada) — $12: Pale, gold-tinged straw hue; fine bead; frothy mousse. Yeast, toast, clove and lychee in the nose. Lively, fruity, full-flavored, toasty, yeasty flavors. Delivers excellent price-value ratio. Score: 89 NV Brut Rosado Reserva (100% trepat) — $14: Dark strawberry-cherry hue; a true rosado with a very fine, active bead. Yeast, clove, strawberry-cherry nose. Very nice with some candied berry fruit flavors; lively and very well-balanced without an overly frothy mouth-feel. Score: 87 Pago de Tharsys, Utiel-Requena (Valencia) A relatively new artisan producer with high quality aspirations. NV Cava (equal parts macabeo, chardonnay) — $25: Green-straw hue; fine bead and delicate mousse. Clean, fresh, citric nose. Rich, elegant, lemony and toasty flavors; dry, citrusy finish. An artistic Valencia ceramic label hangs impressively from the bottle neck with a ribbon. Score: 87 Parxet Founded in 1920, Parxet is an exemplary small producer of Cava and still wine located in Alella, a tiny appellation in the suburbs of Barcelona. NV Titiana (brut nature style, 80-90% 70-year-old chardonnay vines, possibly some pinot noir) — $20: Gold-straw hue; fine, lively bead and mousse. Lychee, coconut and lemon nose. Delicious balance of lovely fruit (hints of apricot) and lively acids. Toasty, but stylish and elegant with a pleasant, dry, bitter almond finish. Score: 92 NV Brut Cuvée 21 (40% parellada, 40% xarel-lo, 20% macabeo) — $12: Pale green-straw hue; fine bead. Nice nose of yeast, honeysuckle, pineapple. Clean, yeasty, lightly sweet honeysuckle and tropical fruitiness; a nice mouthful that is more like a pétillant wine; not overly effervescent, but delicious. Score: 89 NV Brut Pinot Noir — $24: Light strawberry-tinged hue. Clean, yeasty strawberry and light clove in the nose. Very pretty, delicious, clean, balanced, full flavored, fruity strawberry and cranberry with a long, dry, stylish finish. Score: 91 NV Cuvée Dessert Pinot Noir — $20: Deep salmon color; fine, diffuse bead. Allspice, cinnamon, clove and pinot aromas. Deliciously fruity and only lightly sweet red berry flavors. Long, intriguing, spicy finish of cinnamon and clove. An exceptional cross between Cava and still wine. Score: 92 Privat (AD Series) These disgorged-to-order wines are hard to find, but well worth seeking out because they are truly on par with some of the best Champagnes. NV Laietà Brut Nature Reserva (chardonnay, possibly some pinot noir — they wouldn’t say; aged a minimum of 24 months on the lees; disgorged June 30, 2005) — $33: Deep green-gold hue; fine, active bead. Distinctive, toasty, yeasty, green apple and melon nose. Very lively lime and apple flavors; dry, full and rich in the mouth with a long, palate-refreshing finish. First-rate Cava. Score: 92 NV Opus Evolutium Brut Nature Gran Reserva (chardonnay, possibly some pinot noir; aged a minimum of 36 months; disgorged June 30, 2005) — $39: Green-gold straw hue; fine, active, measured bead. Lovely, peachy, yeasty nose. Rich and full flavored with citrus, orange peel and peach nuances followed by a long, delicious hazelnut finish; as good as most high-end Champagnes. Score: 94 Sabate i Coca Castell Roig This 18th-century estate at Masia Can Serra is home to the Sabate i Coca family’s ecologically farmed 85 acres of vines. 2000 Brut Nature Gran Reserva (70% xarel-lo, 20% macabeo, 10% chardonnay; 1,000 cases) — $35: Green-tinged straw hue; very lively, fine bead. Nice yeasty, clean, lemony, fruity floral nose. Lively and dry with a long, lemony finish that begs for food. Score: 88 Segura Viudas Founded by the Segura Viudas family in 1945, since the 1970s it has been in Freixenet’s hands. This cuvée is still made much like a small producer family Cava with an emphasis on quality. NV Brut Reserva Heredad (67% macabeo, 33% parellada; aged five years on the lees) — $20: Green-gold hue; fine, active bead. Pretty nose with hints of yeast, vanilla, lychee, honeysuckle and citrus peel. Stylish, elegant and clean with rich, well-integrated, mature flavors of nut and dried fruit; a long, yeasty, toasty finish. Score: 89 NV Arias Brut Pinot Noir — $12: Light-medium strawberry-cherry color; fine, active bead. Fresh strawberry nose. Clean, dry, smooth, pleasant red berry flavors. Score: 86 Sumarroca The Sumarroca house dates only to 1982, but its Cavas are made at a 15th-century Catalan mas (farmhouse complex) exclusively from estate grapes and only free-run juice. NV Brut Reserva (30% macabeo, 30% xarel-lo, 30% parellada, 10% chardonnay; aged 30 months) — $11: Clean, pale yellow-straw hue; fine, active bead. Yeasty, floral, lime nose. Very dry, fairly austere, lively mouth-feel; hints of minerals with a clean, dry, lemon and bitter almond finish. Score: 87 Contributing Editor Gerry Dawes has been traveling to Spain for more than 30 years, and in 2003 was awarded the Marqués de Busianos Spanish National Gastronomy Prize.