Tasting December 2024
Held on 05/12/24 at A Bordo, Javea Port and attended by 75 members.
This was the last of our 10 tastings for 2024, traditionally the President’s evening, hosted by Neville and Sara. The wines were supplied by Blasco in Teulada. At the suggestion of Jose Blasco, they were all from the regions and wineries badly affected by the recent Valencian floods. Neville presented the wines and Sara ran four ‘spot prize’ competitions to create the festive/party atmosphere. Prices below were heavily discounted by Jose and are only available until 31 December 2024.
| Wine 1 Name and Vintage | Murviedro Cañada La Torre 100% Malvasia, DOP Valencia,2022, 13% alcohol |
| Price per bottle | €11.75 |
| Wine 1 Description | Grown on sandy/silty soil at an altitude of 1,090 m close to Utiel. Annual average temperature is 14 degrees with a range of 17 degrees. Cultivation has minimum intervention. Production involves a 12-hour cold maceration and gentle press, followed by 20-day fermentation. It is kept on its lees for 6 months, followed by 4 months in large French oak foudres. The wine is bright yellow with green tinges. The aroma is very intense and complex – lychees, peach, red apples, orange blossom and nutty. The taste is rich and aromatic, smooth, fresh with a long finish. |
| Wine 2 Name and Vintage | Vicente Gandia Ceramic Sauvignon Blanc, DOP Utiel Requena, 2023,13% alcohol |
| Price per bottle | €10.75 |
| Wine 2 Description | An interesting and different Sauvignon Blanc, grown in similar conditions to Wine 1. The grapes are pressed gently to extract pure ripe fruit. Fermented in oak barrels which are lightly toasted with volcanic stone imported from Iceland. This gives a different nuance compared with flame being applied directly to the oak. The wine is further developed in earthenware jars, hence the ‘ceramic’ name. The wine has elegant aromas of ripe tropical fruit, citrus, mango, pineapple, herbaceous, elderberry, fresh hay and spices such as pepper. The palate has a good level of acidity and smoky notes |
| Wine 3 Name and Vintage | Vicente Gandia Bobal Negre Premium, DOP Utiel Requena, 2021, 14% alcohol |
| Price per bottle | €9.25 |
| Wine 3 Description | These Bobal grapes are grown in similar climactic conditions to Wine 1, in the upper area of Utiel Requena, yields are low at less than 1kg per vine. Harvested in mid-October. Pre- fermentation maceration was carried out for 4 days at 3 degrees then fermented for 10 days at 26 degrees. Half of the wine underwent malolactic fermentation and was aged for 12 months in lightly toasted French oak barrels. The appearance is intense red with violet rim. Aromas of red fruits, red currants, red cherries, herbaceous and woody with a hint of caramel. In the mouth, it is full and intense with hints of oak. |
| Wine 4 Name and Vintage | Murviedro Finca El Serrano, 100% Monastrell, DOP Alicante, 14.5% alcohol |
| Price per bottle | €9.95 |
| Wine 4 Description | This wine is from a lower lying warmer climate, influenced by the Mediterranean. The soils which are limestone based and are poor in nutrients which cause the vines to struggle and ripen in a way that enhances the aromas and flavours. Fermentation was at 25 degrees and pressing was carried out after 30 days of maceration. The wine was transferred to French oak foudres and aged for 6 months. Deep red with shades of purple. It has highly intense aromas of soft ripe fruit with an elegant toasted oak background. A complex full flavour with well-balanced tannins. |
| Wine 5 Name & Vintage | Vicente Gandia Bobal Dulce Rosado, 100% Bobal, DOP Utiel Requena, 11.5% alcohol |
| Price per bottle | €9.25 per 50cl bottle |
| Wine 5 Description | Climate conditions similar to wine 1. Grapes are handpicked in small baskets and immediately placed in cold rooms. After reaching the correct temperature, they are transferred directly to the press, where gentle pressing extracts the super concentrated free run juice. The must is transferred to cool stainless-steel tanks, where it is fermented very slowly to preserve the natural, primary fruit aromas. Pale colour with salmon shades, clean and bright. Aromas are of concentrated strawberry together with apple, citrus and floral. In the mouth it has full concentrated flavours with a great balance between the natural sugars and the fresh acidity |
| Closing Comments | Neville thanked the management and staff at A Bordo for a wonderful evening. |
| Report prepared by | Neville Richardson |
Further images can be found in our Gallery page here