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Metropolitan Pavillon
New York, NY
October 7, 2010
The 17th annual Great Match was presented by Wines of Spain on October 7, 2010. It featured hundreds of wines from many of Spain's 74 winemaking regions. Prior to the beginning of the trade portion, Steve Olson led a seminar on wines from the Valdeorras region. My companions for the day were Dave Nelson, aka The Purple Stain, who always navigates our NYC excursions like a native New Yorker and Andy Poulos, another friend and wine enthusiast.
Steve Olson repeated his role of seminar presenter. Last year he conducted an excellent session on the wines of Bierzo. This year he showcased the wines from the Valdeorras DO. All but one of the 9 wines were produced from the white grape Godello. The one exception was a red wine made from the Mencia grape.
Valdeorras has some similarities with nearby Bierzo. Many of the vines are planted on steeply terraced land. As with other regions, differences in elevations can have a pronounced effect on the wines. Steve chose wines produced from several different elevations to illustrate that concept. Starting with a classic Godello that featured peach and mineral aromas and flavors we moved through wines made not only higher altitudes but with a variety of oak treatments. Some showed subtle differences while others, particularly those aged in oak, were richer and rounder. Steve pointed out that many of these wines will show their best several years from now. From the basic Godello to those with a touch of oak, these are wines that are truly unique. When you are in the mood for something different, look for a tasty Godello from Valdeorras.
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| Marta Rovira Carbonell at Great Match 2010 |
The tasting portion of the Great Match followed the seminar. With the sheer number of wines available for tasting we had to be selective. Our strategy was to look for new and interesting wines and new vintages of old favorites. When we were just about to call it quits we came upon Table 27, the wines of Mas d’en Gil from Priorat. Marta Rovira Carbonell’s line up was very impressive. We tasted through her reds and loved every one of them.
Just before we left we noticed that there were 2 white wines that we had missed. I had never tasted a white from Priorat before so this was a new experience. Even after a full day of tasting big reds the Mas d’en Gil whites stood out. The first was Coma Alta White 2008. Marta told us it was a blend of Granacha Blancha and Viognier. The other was Coma Blanca 2007, a blend of Garnacha Blanca and Macabeo. Both were amazing in their richness and balance. The winery is in the process of selecting an importer for the New York area so hopefully these wines will be available soon. I’ll be first in line to buy some.
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