- Tasting: A Sunset With Rueda Wine Tasting
- Date: Friday 4/12/23
- Location: Aloft Hotel, San Juan
- Distributor: D.O. Rueda
- Wines:
- S-Naia – Sauvignon Blanc (2021)
- Palacio de Bornos – Verdejo (2021)
- Diez Siglos – Verdejo (2021)
- Doña Beatriz – Verdejo Ecológico (2021)
- Oro de Castilla – Verdejo de Rueda (2021)
- Oro de Castilla – Finca Los Hornos (2019)
- Doña Beatriz – Vendimia de Media Noche (2017)
- José Pariente – Varietal Verdejo (2021)
I’ve been told by many that have been involved in wine a lot longer than I have that when it comes to wines, I should try all I can, and all that is available which is the only way to make good palate memory. Granted, when they started in wine down here in Puerto Rico, the options were limited to the big names and big regions and the prices were approachable. That being said, the statement stands true today only that we do have a formidable accessibility to many new wine locations and regions, one of them being the Rueda D.O.
Rueda has had some presence in Puerto Rico over the years but it wasn’t until recently that they invested in a campaign to really tell us a story of what their wines can be. Mainly that their wines are not singular and lineal but that they have the capacity to showcase nuances, difference in styles, pairing alternatives and capacity to evolve among other things. So together with the help of Nelly Cruz & Associates as their public relations hand, and Amber Rivera, Ambassador to Puerto Rico to both Ribera del Duero and Rueda’s D.O.’s they have, for the past two years allowed us to explore through plenty of activities, dinners and like we did this past Wednesday, in a more relax ambience, in an open space, with friends and aficionados from the wine industry in Puerto Rico, we experienced some wines and share our insight on them.
We tried eight different wines from Rueda and I must tell you, they each had their own particular personalities, which goes to the point their trying to make which is…there is something for everybody in Rueda.
The first wine I tried walking in was the S-Naia (2021) which breaks with the staple of Rueda is only Verdejo. This wine was 100% Sauvignon Blanc with 12.5% alcohol. This wine from Bodegas Naia has an interesting story since they say that they waited two decades for the vines to acclimate to the Spanish soil and weather before making wine with them. That’s a hell of wait and tells you the seriousness of their endeavor. As some of my friends know, Sauvignon Blanc is not my go to grape, but I’ve never stopped trying it. While on aroma it had traditional floral notes, I experienced a difference on palate that made it appealing and a good pairing with 88 degree sundown setting. Quite refreshing and enjoyable.
Then I tried the Palacio de Bornos (2021) which was the first Verdejo of the night with 13% alcohol. This wine was like their label says, a refreshing floral wine with traditional citric notes on it. You know 2021 was a fairly recent year so we don’t know much about reviews of the vintage and there are no official reports for the vintage available in Rueda’s website, but from the take of these wines, I can’t say it would be anything less than Very Good.
After that we tried Diez Siglos (2021) which was a very interesting wine for me. As their label establishes this is a nocturnal vendimia wine with cold maceration and raised on its own lees. On aroma it had some green and some sweetness to it almost anise-like and the same on palate. One of my favorite wines of the afternoon. It was also at 13% alcohol.
Doña Beatriz Ecológico (2021) followed suit and it was the first of the bunch to have the label of being 100% Certified natural organic viticulture. From Bodegas Cerrosol this wine at 12.5% of alcohol it was an enjoyable light wine, good fruit with a combo of traditional citrus notes with more sweet notes from peaches and such. At this point I remember I was trying some tapas that were quite good including salmon moose and some skirtsteak empanadillas (or pastelillos, depending where you are from on the island).
The next two wines were from the same house. First the Oro de Castilla (2021) and then the Oro de Castilla Finca Los Hornos (2019). It was a great experience to have wines from the same house with a difference in years and even though the second one was from a select vineyard we are looking at the quality of aging of the wine which is a subject that interests me. The 2021 was as one can expect, vibrant, refreshing and at 13% alcohol was very highly decorated by Decanter (94pts) and Peñin (91pts). I remember it had a good minerality to it aside from the expected fruit notes.
Now the second wine, was another of my favorite wines of the event. This vineyard is different fromt he rest because of the soil which is, as the own winery puts it, abnormaly acidic and together with the rocky surface makes limited but different wines. It was more aromatic for me, still crisp, the acidity was medium and the finish extensive. The wine felt compiled and assembled and at almost 5 years since release let’s you know that Verdejo can hold it’s own.
As the event was coming to a close there were two additional wines we had left to try. First was Doña Beatriz Vendimia de Medianoche (which translates to midnight vendimia) which was even older than the previous coming in at 2017. That’s a 7 year old Verdejo. If you’ve been reading me, maybe you’ve noticed a pattern of night picking for these wines. That’s because in Rueda most grapes are harvested at night, because of cooler temperatures which also helps prevent oxidation and keep that acidity and freshness within. The wine still had nice floral notes on aroma, it was alive and the acidity was still present. It wasn’t as crisp as a 2021 but that is not what you look for in a 7 year old white wine. You look for other elements in them.
Finally, we ended the now evening with a young vibrant 2021 José Pariente Verdejo. A wine made with vines that are 30 years old combined with even older vines from smaller viticulturists in the area. The wine at 13% alcohol was stronger on acidity considering the previous two wines and the white fruit and minerality was highly present on both aroma and palate. Another wine with good fruit making the wine enjoyable and refreshing.
I write this note about three days after the event and what makes the memories of each wine dynamic for me, was the different pleasant conversation I had with everybody. From fellow enthusiasts, to sommeliers and industry professionals and sharing our personal notes of the wines, of the region and in the end…isn’t that one of wines better elements? Conversation is a dying art and the ability to listen to some elses anecdotes can influence our path in life, but in this case… in wine.
Cheers!
