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In Asia: Tempranillo Temptations in Asia Page 1 of 6 Wine Reviews Enter Full/Partial Keyword(s) HOME SUPPORT VIRTUAL TOUR SITE MAP CONTACT US BULLETIN BOARD http://www.erobertparker.com/inasia/ia47.asp 3/10/2010 In Asia: Tempranillo Temptations in Asia Page 2 of 6 Tempranillo Temptations in Asia In Asia Home In Asia Article Archive Visit the In Asia Forum Asian Food Lexicon for Wine About Lisa Quick Links What's New Weekly Wine Buys Cartoon of the Week Vino Vignette of the Month Gift Subscriptions RSS Feeds Wine Advisor Updates I remember first discovering the earthy, vanilla and spice, euphemistically rustic flavours of 2010 TWA Editorial Calendar Tempranillo in the late 1980s and early 90s, when I was residing in South London (not Clapham or even Balham I hasten to add, but the euphemistically rustic Loughborough Ratings On The Go Junction part of Brixton). During my latter years of being a student and those subsequent Parker In Your Palm simpler days of casual employment and bohemian idealism, the wonderfully affordable, pale, leather ‘n tobacco, sweet-American-oaked style from Spanish regions that I’d recently More Information backpacked through went down a treat. Back then a growing number of labels of that Executive Wine Seminars unmistakable Spanish Tempranillo style were widely available at very reasonable value in the Articles of Merit Find It Online UK, and in fact for a while Rioja was the nation’s best selling red wine. A few price hikes and Alan Richman years of general quality issues later, Rioja’s place in the veins of Brits has been diffused by Wine Education more competitive grog from a whole army of New World Johnny-come-latelies. Nonetheless, Glossary of Wine Terms the UK remains Rioja’s largest export customer, slurping up 36% of the region’s total output The Vintage Chart in 2008. The Wine Advocate TWA Rating System Unlike the UK, the Spanish Tempranillo bug has never really caught on here in Asia. Japan is Asia’s largest market for Spanish wines, though these account for only about 6% of Our Reviewers imports. In Singapore vino Espanol is less than 3% of the market, while in Hong Kong the Robert Parker wines equate to roughly 6% of the market by volume though are largely sold on price, Antonio Galloni Neal Martin accounting for only about 2% of that market by value. Jay Miller David Schildknecht I think a major marketing set-back for Tempranillo in Asia is that unlike Cabernet Sauvignon, Mark Squires the grape lacks superstar brands such as Chateau Lafite, Mouton Rothschild, Screaming Kevin Zraly Eagle or Harlan Estate to provide aspirational carrots in affluent areas of patchy wine Past Reviewers education. True, there are a handful of B-list celebrities such as Vega Sicilia, Dominio de Pingus, Artadi, Roda and Pesquera, but sadly these great names are often barely recognized Links here. The Wine Advocate Fund Educational Perhaps part and parcel of this educational factor, another of the main reasons that Retailer Tempranillo and Spanish wines in general do poorly in Asian markets is their chameleon Accessory/Storage Other nature that, beyond the simple brand name “Rioja”, makes them difficult to sum up for consumers. A good Tempranillo based wine from Rioja can smell and taste vastly different from a Ribera del Duero, Navarra, La Mancha or even other areas of Rioja. Don’t get me wrong, this is a commendable attribute. Comparisons are frequently made to Pinot Noir, a grape that is similarly compelled to speak of its provenance. But that the grape can appear so varied in personality is a complicated pill to swallow, which isn’t helped by Tempranillo having a whole posse of different aliases: Cencibel, Tinto de Toro, Ull de Llebre and Tinto Fino, just to name a few. That said, Tempranillo is not so easy to pronounce for native speakers of some Asian languages – perhaps it would be better off using another of those many calling-cards here? I’ve always thought that Cencibel has a nicer ring to it. Yet even for a wine expert, just trying to get your head round modern Rioja is a minefield. Apart from the reflections of different terroirs, the winery induced profiles these days can vary wildly, particularly considering many of the newer styles that are being forged more like top wines of Bordeaux. Dozens of mixed signals seem to exist – who knows what pulling that cork will unleash? An inky, tannic, French barrique, cedared-up powerhouse that needs http://www.erobertparker.com/inasia/ia47.asp 3/10/2010 In Asia: Tempranillo Temptations in Asia Page 3 of 6 years to be approachable, or a glass of soft, simple, Beaujolais-like strawberries and figs or that traditional tried and tested vanilla-laced, oxidative, leather ‘n tobacco tipple? If we focus purely on top end of quality, few would argue that Rioja’s younger brother, Ribera del Duero, has been the one to set the benchmark, consistently demonstrating the true characteristics and potential of the Tempranillo grape (er, locally known as Tinto Fino). Mavericks like Domingo Garramiola (1878 – 1933), one of the founding winemakers at Vega Sicilia, and later Alejandro Fernandez of Pesquera demonstrated that by applying lower yields, berry selection and judicious handling, the grape’s flavours can be coaxed forward rather than dried out. In short, they took Tempranillo beyond oak instilled vanilla, leather ‘n tobacco. Nowadays I’m finding that the best young Tempranillos typically reveal plum, black cherry and blackberry flavours complimented by pepper and spices plus a uniquely earthy / savoury character that is not so dissimilar to great Pinot Noir. The finest examples can age for twenty years or more. In February 2009, I went nosing around Tokyo to check out the availability of good Spanish Tempranillos from a variety of regions and price points, tasting more than forty personally selected examples. Though, as I’ve already touched upon, styles and quality levels were all over the place, there were an impressive number of truly interesting wines to recommend, with my tasting notes for the cream of the crop below. Then in March 2009, I caught up with Xavier Ausas, the winemaker at Vega Sicilia and Christopher Cannan of Europvin, agents for the winery, at a lunch hosted by their Singapore distributors, Vinum. The Vega Sicilia group now incorporates three separate wineries focusing on Tempranillo, including Alion in the Ribera and Pintia in Toro. Christopher explained that currently 4-5% of Vega Sicilia’s production is going to Asia with Japan as the region’s largest market, followed by Singapore. For the record, Spain consumes 65% of their production. It worth taking a moment to explain the important difference between the two top Vega Sicilia Unico wines that have confusingly similar names and labels: Unico Reserva and Unico Reserva Especial. Unico Reserva is the flagship wine while Reserva Especial is an unusual blend of three top vintages, with a new blend released every year. Traditionally Unico Reserva has spent at least ten years aging in barrel / bottle, with a long period in cask experiencing a complex series of rackings from old oak to new then old again, from large barrels to small. However, Xavier Ausas is now shortening Unico’s time in barrel and increasing the time in bottle prior to release, though it still goes through the myriad of rackings. The result appears to give a purer, more varietally expressive wine. Unico Reserva is not produced every year, seven vintages in every decade upon average. Valbuena is a third cuvee from Vega Sicilia. It’s made from younger vines and in years when Unico is not produced the grapes normally destined for Unico will go into Valbuena. All the Vega Sicilia wines are made from approximately 75-80% Tinto Fino and 15-20% Bordeaux varieties, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec. Tempranillo, Tinto Fino, Cencibel, whatever you want to call it, I’m hoping sales will soon be looking up for Spain’s most important grape here in Asia. At the pinnacles of quality, the wonderfully idiosyncratic attributes of this incredible grape and its ability to express terroir are being nurtured and successfully manifested by diligent winemakers around Spain more than ever before. At the everyday level, many lesser known wines are now offering a lot of pure dark fruit and savoury spice at great value. What’s more, Tempranillo can marry very well with a broad range of Asian dishes – lighter or mature styles are a great match with O-toro sashimi or Shabu Shabu, while denser, more tannic wines are delicious with Wagyu beef, full flavoured Cantonese red meat dishes or beef Rendang. Me gusto mucho! Tasting Notes from Tokyo Tempranillo Tasting Raiz de Guzman 2004 Nuestras Cepas, S.L., Ribera del Duero 94 points Imported in Japan by Pesuca Co., Ltd. Deep garnet colour. The nose is very purely fruited, youthful, providing a good intensity of blackberry, black plum, spice, game and espresso aromas. The palate is both concentrated and well structured with medium to firm, finely grained tannins and medium to high acidity. Very long finish. Drink now to 2020. Tasted February 2009. Liberalia Cero Tinto 2006 Bodega Liberalia, Toro 92 points Imported in Japan by AGRI Co., Ltd. Deep garnet-purple. Beautifully expressive nose displaying aromas of blueberry, warm plum, mocha, cumin, cedar and a touch of violets. The full bodied palate gives concentrated plum and spice flavours with a distinctively earthy / savoury edge. Medium+ level of velvety tannins and medium+ acidity to balance. Very long finish. Drink now to 2020. Tasted February 2009. http://www.erobertparker.com/inasia/ia47.asp 3/10/2010 In Asia: Tempranillo Temptations in Asia Page 4 of 6 Ondarre Reserva 2002 Bodegas Ondare, Rioja 92 points Imported in Japan by ZAS Co., Ltd.