Sitting in my sweltering studio, I’m daydreaming of Spain. Strolling the Rambla, driving the countryside, sipping unctuous Priorat red wines.
Back to reality. (Boo. Hiss.) I received a phone call from my mom a few weeks ago. She was contemplating purchasing some wines on special at a local wine store. She began to read off the list of wines when I stopped her mid-sentence. “Did you say Las Rocas?” My heart fluttered. In case you missed it, I reviewed this wine a while back. To summarize, I went ga-ga for this delightful garnacha, especially at the price.
A journey to the high desert of Oregon was already planned for Memorial Day weekend to visit my folks. Now, a girls’ wine shopping trip was added to the agenda.
Pulling into Baker City, I admired the charming downtown with its wide streets and its boutiques interspersed amongst the local drinking spots. Entering Bella, I ambled through kitchen gadgets and the well-stocked cooler of cheeses, finally arriving at (ta-duh) the ah-maze-ing wine section. Where was I? Baker? How could this be?
While Bella carries a wide selection of wines, it seemed to me the owner shared a passion of mine: Spanish wines! I drooled and dabbled over bottle after bottle and even thought about buying a box of Montsant perched upon a shelf. When, at last, I decided to buy a 2003 Falset Old Vines Montsant. I wanted to share with my mom a taste of the Spanish countryside where I wandered about last year about this time of year.
The majority of the ‘03 Falset is garnacha (85%) with a splash of cabernet sauvignon (15%). A deep garnet color, this red wine emits hints of blackberries and dusty earthiness. The dark fruit comes through on the palate, along with casis and licorice. Twinges of blueberries and dark chocolate intertwine in this velvety-textured wine.
The ‘03 Falset Old Vines is an easy-drinker and pairs well with grilled meat, which makes it perfect for sipping at summer BBQs. Now, for the bad news; this wine is hard to find. I guess that is only to be expected, since only 450 cases were made for export to the US. Good news: Bella ships wine! (Hopefully it’s still in stock.
If you’re interested in reading up about the Montsant region and this wine, Ole Imports has a web page detailing the climate, soil types, etc.
