The Jewels of Spain (Four of Them)

April 9th, 2019

FIRST OFF : We will be tasting these wines in-store tomorrow (WED) from 5-7pm.
(If there are any left)

There is just so much great, micro-production wine on the market right now., so many tiny operations working with such care producing wines of such singular beauty that it's a great time to be a wine drinker. 

Whereas, historically, the smallest productions wines of exceeding rarity tended to be at the very top-end of the market (and that's certainly still the case), nowadays, some of the most coveted tiny-production wines on the market are not from the extreme high end, but rather fall right into what most people would consider a fair price point. 

This makes for a very interesting dynamic - clamoring for a meager allocation of a $30 wine that you then have little hope of satisfying your demand with. 

One of the hotbeds for these gorgeous-but-barely-available wines is certainly Spain.  Specifically Northern Spain, in today's case. 

First we have a producer whose wines many of you are already well aware of - Laura Lorenzo.  Since we first began offering them a few years ago, they've absolutely become some of the most inquired-about wines we stock...emphasis on 'inquired-about' because their availability is fleeting indeed. 

In 2017, Laura lost most of her crop to hail and, consequently, today's Portela do Vento does contain fruit purchased from some of her organic-growing neighbors, though the blend is still the typical roughly 90/10 of Mencia and Garnacha Tintorera. 

As always, the joyous, staggering purity that Laura coaxes from her reds is the main theme, but the lightly spicy, highly energetic vein that runs through the Portela is particularly refreshing. 

After that, we have a tiny amount of the Camino de la Frontera Tinto, an arresting field blend of Juan Garcia/Tinta Madrid/Rufete/Bobal/Mencia/Bastardo that takes the same supple texture and stamps it with an even more flowery/savory streak. 

Another of the jewels of the 'New Spain' are certainly the wines of Alberto Nanclares, who, along with his partner Sylvia Prieto, has been taking the Albariño grape to soaring heights with his focused, acid-driven and spine tingling whites. 

Today, I've got what I find to be my favorite of his offerings, the wildly edgy, intensely focused and screamingly fast A Graña.  This is truly Albariño on a whole different level - chiseled, racy, mineral and briny.  Just the thought of it makes your tongue tingle. 

Plus I've also got one of Alberto's reds today, the lovely Miñato de Raña.  From a single, south-facing, highly granitic, 100+ year old vineyard of mainly Mencia and Garnacha, this is cool, airy, hyper-floral, herbaceous and fresh.  As this beauty ages, though, you can expect even more delicately earthy/spicy nuance to emerge. 

These are four superlative examples of the many, many exciting wines that Spain is blessing us with, and from two of its very brightest stars...

...so get some while you can!!

To inquire about this wine, please email info@mcf-rarewine.com or call 212.255.8870.

Matt Franco
MCF Rare Wine, Ltd
249 West 13th Street NYC 10011
212.255.8870

WARNING: DRINKING DISTILLED SPIRITS, BEER, COOLERS, WINE AND OTHER ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES MAY INCREASE CANCER RISK, AND, DURING PREGNANCY, CAN CAUSE BIRTH DEFECTS.