Beverage of the Week (B.O.W)
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BOW for the Week of: September 21, to September 27, 2011
Some of my earliest Wine memories are those of drinking great “Reserva” wines from Spain’s Rioja region. The wonderfully charming Wines from 1970, 75 and 76 are still alive in my memories. Great Rioja Wines have such incredible depth and style. They processed every expression of fruit from rich and ripe to earthy and herbal with deep semi-sour notes redolent of the best balsamic vinegars. Recently these great old memories have been rekindled by the fabulous Beronia Barricas 198 “Reserva” Rioja (DOCa) 2004.
This beauty of a Wine deftly marries the great, old traditional flavors of Rioja with richer, more fruit driven Wines of today with a definite nod toward the nostalgic. Memories of Wines and vintages gone by are hardly required as this Wine is more than prepared to charm a new generation of Wine drinkers seeking to establish their own catalog of experiences.
The Wine is made at Bodegas Beronia a winery founded in 1973 making it youthful in its locale. In 1982 the Gonzalez family purchased the winery as they recognized the firm’s great potential. The Gonzalez Byass ownership and support bring with it a depth of experience approaching two centuries, as well as a global reputation for quality and integrity.
The Beronia “198 Barricas” is a special and limited wine chosen from the best 198 barrels of the 2004 vintage. It is made primarily from Tempranillo with lesser amounts of Mazuelo and Graciano. The Wine is fermented in stainless steel before being sent to oak barrels for a period of 24 months. Beronia utilizes both French and American oak and has been pioneers in the development of used barrels that include staves of both American and French oak. The results are clearly evident. At $80 a bottle this is not your everyday wine but its quality and rarity validate the asking price with no hesitation.
