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We’re finishing a few week in northern Spain in the Zarautz area where the famous Txakoli wine is produced. It’s tiny bubbles fizz away, with citrus and apple zest on the nose and good acidity in the mouth that is always a pleasure with all seafood dishes or tapas/pinxos.
Previously we visited the Neo-Greco come eco-citadel of the Raimat vineyard in the DO of Costers del Segre, based near Lleida, Catalonia.
Raimat have vines growing on the roof of their latest building, all glass and marble but with a fabulous after recycling process and a wonderful old art-deco bodega from the Gaudi school. The tasting/guided tour was excellent, even at 20 euros.
Raimat specializes in younger wines so no GR/Reserva and no chance of over, or badly integrated oaking. This was a bonus for us as the ‘Bodega Floorboards’ of some Iberian wine has defeated us in the past. So we can recommend their wines if modern Spanish joven/crianza type wines are to your taste.
They also posses the only license to produce a Cava out with the traditional DO. This follows the Ravantos family creating the first Cava back in 1872 and then going on to develop Raimat from the salt pans around Lleida. We tried their varietal version using Chardonnay and were pleased enough to buy a case . We can also recommend their ‘Stork Nest’ white and the Grenache Negra. Toothsome both.
Now home after a long drive it’s a treat to have a good Nuits Saint Geoges from Jean Chauvenet.image|375x500 Wonderful to come back to!
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Fond memories of Raimat reds from my very earliest wino days back in the early 90s in Zaragoza. Abadía and Clos Clamor cost the equivalent of less than £1.50, which wasn’t especially cheap of course, but they certainly beat the competition hands down. They were both oak aged but far from overoaked.
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Yes, some oak, but never at the cost of the grape fruit. French oak; good for a little time!