Happy New Year!!!!! Oh wait………it’s like January 13th. Hhhmmmm….. darn it! But it IS a Happy New Year for the Johnson’s of Mukwonago. The mommy (me) has given up being a restaurant lifer and has gone to the other side. Which is the side that the majority of the world works in. Cam and Reece now have me home at night and on the weekends and I just realized I would never have to work on Mothers Day again!

I now work selling wine in a different venue and in this short period of time, I have really learned lots. Some of the things I have learned are things I had really just lost sight of dealing with only French wine for the past five years.

In looking through some of the portfolios that I now read on a regular basis, I have rediscovered a Spanish wine dynasty. I remember selling these wines years ago when I was in retail and finding them again has been a pleasure.

In 1972 Alejandro Fernandez licensed their bodega in the town of Pesquera in Ribera del Duero, and after years of growing grapes and making wine for his own consumption, he and his wife Esperanza realized their dream. The estate now has over 500 acres of mature vineyards, situated on a variety of different soils. Vinification includes total destemming and whole berry maceration for up to twenty days and maturation in small oak barriques.

Wines produced by Alejandro are made exclusively from the difficult Tempranillo, a red grape indigenous to Spain and in Portugal it is one of the main grapes of Port. There it is called Tinto Roriz, among other things. Tempranillo probably has more "other names" than any grape I have heard of!

There is a quantity of 2004 Tinto Pesquera available in the market. It will probably retail in the $30.00 range. Here is a review:

This chewy red adds dark, rich flavors of coffee and licorice to a core of plum and blackberry fruit. The tannins are a bit aggressive, but good acidity keeps it lively. Best from 2008 through 2015. 60,000 cases made. –TM Score: 89.  That’s from a Wine Spectator guy.

There is also 2000 Tinto Pequera Reserva in the market. This vintage certainly wasn’t as good as 2001 or the recent 2004 and 2005, but it wasn’t a bad vintage and with the superb wine making practices of the Fernandez team, it is one of the best of the vintage. This one will probably retail in the $70.00 range.

There are also quantities of some of the other wines of his dynasty that are extremely well made and not as well known. In 1986 Alejandro, after three years of stubborn negotiation, took ownership of 100 acres and planted prime Tempranillo vines on a southern facing mountain slope to the bank of the Duero river. One the opposite side of the river is the historic hilltop village of Haza and Condado de Haza was born.

There is some 2003 Condado de Haza and 2000 Condado de Haza Reserva in the market but I have not seen Alenza here. Both are worth seeking out and will be in the $25.00 range.

From one of Spain’s earliest recognized wine regions, Zamora, comes another Alejandro Fernandez creation called Dehesa la Granja. Old clone Tempranillo vines were planted on 325 acres there. Here is what Robert Parker said of the available 2000 vintage:

Soft, elegant and more restrained, the deep ruby/purple colored 2000 possesses a spicy leathery finish. Excellent value - 87 points. This should be in the $20.00 range.

And lastly from La Mancha, the large central plateau in Spain that grows more grapes than any other single region is El Vinculo. Completely old vine Tempranillo again made meticulously and aged in barrel longer than required

Spain is a great place to look for wines of immense quality at prices that are generally not exorbitant. This producer is one of the greats and buying any one of the above would be an excellent addition to your cellar and to many meals with friends.

To treat a poor wretch with a bottle of Burgundy, and fill his snuffbox, is like giving a pair of laced ruffles to a man that has never a shirt on his back.

Thomas [Tom] Brown 1663 – 1704

Santé