Opened a nice Spanish wine tonight- 2011 Bodegas Alejandro Fernandez Ribera del Duero Tinto Pesquera. Nice way to end the afternoon! Here is my note:
Nice ruby with high optical density. Nice intensity nose, with violets, cherry, and vanilla over subtle celery seed and garden soil. Refreshing acidity on the palate with medium body and medium intensity of integrated tannins, giving a smooth texture. Good intensity of flavours, with vanilla-coated red berries and violets on the attack. The midpalate holds ok (not great, but does not hollow too much), and picks up some spicy and dusty leather flavours before settling into a smokey finish of decent length and intensity. Very nice wine- well balanced and with an interesting array of flavours that are harmonious. These come together to give what might be described as a “purple” flavour profile- all of the aromas and flavour components form part of the core of “purple” rather than standing alone as single colours within a mixture: like a bunch of mixed paints that have been stirred really well, not justed dabbed all together showing rainbows or swirls. This is well mixed, with good intensity/saturation! Purple! Would pair very well with some haze!
You can age it if you want to. In fact, he used to tell people to keep it for a year and it will be a reserva, but finally he realized that wasn’t such a good idea because then why would anyone buy his reserva?
But this is a good vintage and will age well for a few years, although there’s no reason not to drink now.
By far, “purple” is the notion I most associate with Ribera del Duero. Seriously. And I like it, though I haven’t found enough range in the wines I’ve tried from there to make it more than an occasional interest.
Purple with regard to wine has a second, yucky meaning, over extracted alcoholic syrupy new world etc. Before I opened this thread I thought that was where this was going.
Ah, that is good to know, as it is not at all syrupy or yucky! Perhaps a better way to express the concept is required, so as to express harmonious flavours without the “yucky” connotation. Always great to learn something new.
I’ll think about a way to express the idea without using “Purple”…
