Today I am offering an amazing white wine from Spain’s greatest wine region: RIOJA and from one of its leading winemakers: Abel Mendoza. The new 2021 vintage just received a 95+ from Wine Advocate (the best score ever for it), and we also have the two prior brilliant vintages available (2019 95WA - 2020 96TA)- low US pricing on all 3 wines.
We also have a few of their reds below too which should also not be missed and what they are mostly known for. The carbonic Jarrate is a STEAL (92WA sub $20), while all of his top reds offer a lot of value for being of Rioja’s best winemakers.
2021 Abel Mendoza • 5V 95+WA $59.99 / $54.99 3+
2020 Abel Mendoza • 5V 97TA $59.99 / $54.99 3+
2019 Abel Mendoza • 5V **95WA $59.99 (only 3 bottles available) **
2020 Abel Mendoza Jarrate 92WA $21.99 / $19.99 3+ / $18.99 12+
2018 Abel Mendoza Selection Personal 95WA $59.99
2019 Abel Mendoza Grano a Grano Tempranillo $89.99
Just a few 6 packs of the 2020 and 2021, 3 bottles of the 2019! Style-wise, it is a serious wine meant to age and is tightly wound when young and best on day TWO after being opened. But once it gets there, look out, just sit back and take it in.
On open it has piquant mineral and saline notes with fresh lime and Sicilian lemon oil, fresh pear and green apple fruit notes…a light amount of French oak frames the whole experience into a long, fresh, and zesty finish. The next day it gained weight in all aspects of the aroma, body, flavors and finish! The fruit added some honeydew and stonefruit peach, but keeping with the verve and mineral notes of day 1 as well, uber complex! Very Chave Hermitage Blanc.
2021 5V 95+WA
95+ pts Wine Advocate (highest ever for this wine from the WA)
The white with more complexity and nuance is the 2021 5V. It’s a blend of five varieties, hence the name, but in 2021 the blend is slightly different, with more Garnacha Blanca and Viura; the breakdown is 30% Viura, 30% Garnacha Blanca, 20% Tempranillo Blanco, 10% Malvasía and 10% Torrontés. It has very good ripeness and aromatic complexity but with subtleness and elegance. It has more complexity and somehow feels more open and expressive than any of the other whites. This matured in barrel with the lees and bâtonnage for five months. It has 14% alcohol, a pH of 3.3 and 5.7 grams of acidity (measured in tartaric acid per liter). 4,116 bottles produced. It was bottled in April 2022. - Luis Gutierrez Robert Parker Wine Advocate