Dear Feastlings,
By now you’re aware that we periodically put extra effort into helping you navigate the world of imported wine by getting you familiar with some of the people who import it. We figure that if you come across a mysterious bottle, here or elsewhere, whose pedigree you don’t recognize, you may be leery about purchasing it sight unseen. Our solution? Turn that bottle around. Look at the back label, and see whether the importer is someone you’ve come to trust, be it through our tastings or other past experience. Sure, there are the big ones: most people who devote any significant time to wine recognize Kermit Lynch, or Neal Rosenthal, or Terry Thiese. But as often as not, you’ll be confronted with a bottle whose back label is as unfamiliar as the front, so we’ve decided that, on occasion, we should introduce you to an importer you may not know, and help you build a relationship of trust with them so that when you find that obscure bottle, you’re not gambling so much as making an educated guess. This Sunday, May 26, our friend Dylan Higgins joins us with six wines in tow from a smaller importer who specializes in Spanish wine, Think Global. You’ll taste three whites, a pink and two reds, all distinctly different, all of excellent quality for the price, and all, coincidentally, from Think Global. The tasting begins at 3:30 and costs $30 plus tax and tip, and each wine is paired with a snack that’s designed especially to accompany it. Reservations are a must, and they can’t be made by email or web, so if you’d like us to hold a seat for you, please give us a call at 326-9363.
Trust your importer: Think Global
2017 Eladio Pineiro Envidiacochina, Tete de Cuvée, Rias Baixas $26.00
“The “Tête de Cuvée” from Envidiacochina is really a fine bottle of Albariño, offering up a salty and citric bouquet of lime, sweet grapefruit, gentle lees tones, salty minerality, a touch of ocean breeze, lemongrass, and a topnote of orange peel. On the palate the wine is crisp, fullish, complex and very nicely balanced, with a good core, fine cut and grip and a long, focused, and classy finish. Makes me wish I was back in Cambados with some scallops baked in their shell to go with the wine!”
2017 Buil & Giné “Nosis”, Rueda $14.00
“The Nosis bottling from Buil & Giné is composed entirely of Verdejo and the 2017 vintage comes in at thirteen percent octane. The wine offers up a lovely bouquet of pear, lime peel, a touch of green olive, a bit of sea salts, good soil tones and a topnote of white flowers. On the palate the wine is crisp, medium-full and complex, with good acids and grip, fine focus and a long, youthful and promising finish…”
2008 R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Gravonia Crianza Blanco, Rioja $30.00
“To my mind, the Viña Gravonia bottling from López de Heredia is the finest value in classically-styled Rioja Blanco that one can find on this wide earth…On the palate the wine is crisp, complex and full-bodied, with a superb core, excellent soil signature, bright, zesty acids and superb focus and grip on the long and complex finish. Great juice and a superb value.”
2017 Buil & Giné “Rosat”, Priorat $21.00
“Pale lurid red. Mineral-accented cherry, raspberry, candied rose, and a suggestion of orange zest on the deeply perfumed nose. Shows very good depth and energy to the sappy raspberry, and bitter cherry flavors, which pick up a minerally aspect as the wine opens up. Smoothly blends power, elegance, and finishes with strong mineral cut, and floral lift.”
2015 Buil & Giné “Giné”, Priorat $23.00
“Forward and delicious with aromas of black plum, black cherry, cardamom, and hints of milk chocolate. On the palate there are rich flavors of black cherry, roasted dates, French vanilla, and chocolate shavings. This continues to display decadent dark flavors while maintaining a strong mineral backbone. Delicious now and should drink beautifully well into the next decade.”
2009 R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Cubillo Crianza, Rioja $29.00
“While the color looks mature for the wine’s age, this 2009 has the resistance to oxygen that makes the family’s Riojas so compelling. The texture is silky and soft, carrying notes of red plum skin and peach pit, tobacco and cedar, building generously as it takes on air…”