Viñaredo Godello 2016

A week ago I ended the longest relationship I’ve ever been in. I felt like I’d given it a pretty good go and it just wasn’t working for me anymore. Considering his reaction to my saying it was over, my now-ex couldn’t have cared less anyway so all in all it was a win-win. I’d never dated anyone for that long (a year and a half, which is a LONG time for me) so I expected to be more upset than I was. Don’t get me wrong, for about 12 hours I was a crying mess and had my poor roommate most concerned, but then I just… got over it I guess. It’d been a bad relationship for a while and I’d never let anyone make me feel so small and insignificant for such a long time and I was rather upset with myself for that. Once I got all that through my head it became a lot easier to see the up-side to being single again, like getting to use my “heartbreak” as an excuse to guilt all my coworkers into being nice to me and to splurge on wine.

As tempting as it was to drown my not-really-existent sorrows in the latest “wine” obsession, Capprichio Sangria (it’s like Four Loko… but wine! And yes, that does sound beyond awful to me), which we’d just gotten in, much to my annoyance, I went with an actual Spanish wine, Viñaredo Godello.

This wine had just appeared on my shelves during a brief period I was away from work that week. I was excited because my selection of Spanish whites was lacking and I hadn’t had the chance to taste more than a few Godellos, though the ones I had tried were very good. Until 50 or so years ago it had almost ceased to exist. Thankfully a handful of winemakers in the region managed to bring attention again to this nearly forgotten grape and since then it has thrived and grown in reputation. Wines made from Godello come from Valdeorras which is within the Galicia region of Spain in the Northwest. The style of this wine can vary depending on what the winemaker chooses to do with it.

The Viñaredo Godello was a rather fun wine. The nose was dominated by notes of green apple, grapefruit and just a hint of sea salt. The palate was crisp and bright with the addition flavors of pineapple, lime and just a hint of wet rocks. The finish was perfect for the hot weather we’re having (and will continue to have until December) with high acidity that leaves your tongue tingling for quite a while. On day two it did seem to lose some of the bright crispness that I’d really enjoyed, but it was still more than drinkable.

30th Birthday Wines

I turned 30 a couple of weeks ago and was rather disappointed that I didn’t immediately turn into a withered, old hag (the way some people react to the “big three-oh”, I’d naturally assumed that was what would happen). I’d really been looking forward to being able to wave a cane and croak at kids to get the hell off my lawn, though I suppose I could still do that, but it wouldn’t be the same seeing as how I still look like I’m under 21 (no, it’s not a blessing, it’s just annoying), plus I don’t really have a lawn.

Despite that letdown, it was a great birthday since I got to spend it drinking some rather incredible wines (and oh yeah, there were a couple of awesome people there too who also made it great, but the wines definitely stole the show).

The night before my birthday, Kye opened a 2015 Yves Cuilleron “La Petite Côte” Condrieu and a 2012 Bernard Levet “Les Journaries” Côte-Rôtie, both of which he had me blind.* I wound up calling the Condrieu a Spanish Albarino (in my defense it was still very cold when he poured it, after it warmed up a bit it was obviously viognier, but we both still gave me crap about it). I did better with the red though, the second I got that whiff of funky barnyard and smoky meat I knew it could only be Rhone. I went a bit too South with my call (Gigondas), but wasn't totally unhappy with my call.** So we got to toast my birthday at midnight with wines from what might be my favorite region (Rhone, obviously) and all was right in the world.

Then the day after my birthday I got a package from Rare Wine Co. that contained some surprises: a 1987 Lopez de Heredia Reserva Tondonia and a 1987 D’Oliveiras Bual Madeira. My parents felt bad that they were missing my birthday to go on a trip to Canada so they’d conspired with Kye to get me a bottle of something that I wouldn’t ever think to get for myself and they nailed it. Kye, being the amazing dude that he is, threw in the Madeira as an extra.

Lopez de Heredia has been one of my favorite producers ever since Kye introduced me to their incredible wines a few years ago. They’re one of the few Rioja producers who still use the traditional American oak barrels instead of French, which I tend to prefer in that region’s wines. Also, they age their wines for longer than is required for the region (the most current vintage for their youngest wine is 2008). Despite the lack of an ah-so, Kye didn’t have any issues with opening the bottle and we even decanted it the “proper” sommelier way, with a lit candle behind the bottle in order to see the sediment and an actual glass decanter. It was delicious, still retained the red fruit notes, had that hint of coconut that you get from American oak and had nicely balanced acidity and tannins. It was probably one of the best wines I’ve ever gotten to drink.

The D’Oliveiras Bual Madeira was strictly from Kye since we both love Madeira, but can’t always find that great of a selection in retail store here since most people just buy it for cooking. It was super nutty, almost reminded me a bit of sherry and had a sweetness that perfectly complimented that. I didn’t wind up finishing the bottle until almost a week later and though it had become a bit more acidic by then it was still amazing.

So that was my 30^th birthday and there’s nothing about it I can complain about. The people I spent it with and the wines we opened made it perfect.

*Meaning a blind tasting, where you must determine varietal, region and vintage a wine might be based solely on what you get from sight, smell and taste. And no, it’s not magic or bullshit, if you have the knowledge and practice enough it’s totally possible (though definitely not easy)

**Kye was also a bit offended that I’d think he’d get me an Albarino and Gigondas for my birthday, but he quickly got over that

                                                     

Vina Cumbrero Rioja Reserva 2008

Would you like to know what’s not super awesome? Not having a working AC in your home in the middle of summer… in Texas. It’s even better when your apartment management refuses to replace the unit even though it’s the fifth time in a year that it’s crapped out, because if we “just leave it running nonstop it partially cools” the apartment. Not sure how anyone else feels, but I don’t think 80 degrees is even close to “partially cool” when the temperature outside is over 100. And just in case it’s not obvious (since bafflingly enough it’s apparently not to other people), leaving your AC running nonstop gets rather expensive. Shocking... I know.

So, what do you do when people are awful and your apartment feels less like a home and more like a sauna and potential deathtrap for your dog? First you get your dog the hell out of there and leave her with her adoring grandparents, even though you know she’ll be less than thrilled about it and will probably vent her displeasure by destroying your possessions once she returns. Then you open a bottle of wine and try not to dwell on a situation that you feel utterly powerless to do anything positive about.

Since this super fantastic situation happened (almost an entire month ago) I have gone through several bottles of wine, but one that really stood out was the Vina Cumbrero Rioja Reserva 2008 I picked up from work for under $15.

This Rioja is 100% Tempranillo and aged for over 18 months in oak and with rather intense notes of red fruits and baking spices on the nose. Full-bodied on the palate bursting with flavors of cherry, raspberry and vanilla followed by hints of earth and licorice. Round, silky tannins and lively acidity lead to a pleasant, lingering finish. I decided to decant it as well which helped open the wine up a bit.* It was a great wine for under $15 and did wonders for taking my mind off the still unresolved AC issues. 

Oh well... it could always be worse.

*If you lack a decanter, Tupperware works just as well in a pinch, it just doesn’t look as fancy. And I am obviously all about being fancy.