66 members and guests enjoyed another evening of good food, good company and super wines at one of our favourite venues. In the absence of President Tim Fawle, Vice President John Sloggie welcomed the many guests and reported on the excellent recent trip to Galicia, thanking Tim, Sandy, Gaby and Margaret for the excellent organisation, as always. He introduced our presenter, José Luis, the Director of Bodegas Borsao.  Gordon Sellars translated and the vote of thanks was given by James Blackwell on behalf of us all. The prices quoted below were discounted by 10% at A Catarlo Todo.

The bodega is located in the CAMPO DE BORJA (Zaragoza, Aragón), known as “THE EMPIRE OF GARNACHA”. Set up in 1980, Campo de Borja has almost 7,500 hectares (20-25 Million kgs of Grapes). Garnacha (Grenche) represents over 60% of the D.O. vineyard plantings.  The oldest vineyards of the D.O. date back to 1145 and more than 2,000 of the 5,000 hectares of Garnacha are between 30 and 50 years old. Of this particular winery Robert Parker said, “If you have not yet discovered the great values of Bodegas Borsao, it´s about time you do”.

We tasted 5 wines, 4 from the excellent value “Seleccion” range. As is our tradition, each wine was served with a different plate. The first Borsao Seleccion Blanco was served with the aperitivo. This wine is 100 % Macabeo (also known as Viura). From vineyards with an age of about 25-30 years situated in high regions with plenty of rolling stones, fermentation is undertaken in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature of between 14º-18º C. Stays in French oak bordelaise barrels for 3 months. The wine has a straw yellow appearance, with strong citric and tropical fruit aromas. In the mouth it’s creamy and fresh, in perfect harmony with the acidity. The wine that we drank was 2014, bottled this week and not yet scored by the main guides. In recent years this wine has consistently scored an average of 87 points. It sells at a price of €5.25. 

Our second wine was the 2014 Rosado from the same range, also at €5.25. This wine is made from 100 % Grenache. The vineyards have an age of 10 to 25 years. The soils are stony and slimy with clay and limestone. The oenologist uses criomaceration over 6-12 hours, to gain the rosy colour from the skins. The juice is then bled-off. Fermentation is in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature of between 14º-18º C. This wine has a red luminescent colour with warm glows. Has a strong aroma of berries and sweets. Very young and fresh in the mouth, well balanced with its acidity, rich in floral nuances and spices. Recently guides have given an average score of 88 to previous versions of this wine. 

We then tasted the Borsao Seleccion Tinto made from  85% Garnacha, 20% Syrah and 10% Tempranillo, also from 2014 and at the same price of €5.25. The vines are 15 to 25 years old on stony and slimy soils with clay and limestone. This wine uses pellicular maceration (a pre-fermentation cold maceration) over 3-4 days and a total process of 10 to 12 days. Separate fermentation of each variety in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature of between 22º-24º C.  The wine is cherry red with violet nuances, has a ripe fruit nose with floral tones. A full bodied wine, spicy and with a complex and long aftertaste. Guia Repsol gave the 2013 wine 91 points, while Peñin gave 89 to the 2012. Robert Parker says that this wine is “One of the best value young Spanish wines”. 

Our fourth wine was the 2011 Borsao Seleccion Crianza. Made of 60% Garnacha, 20% Merlot, 20% Tempranillo, the different varieties are fermented separately in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature of between 24º-28º C with a peak of 32º C. Maceration lasts 15 days in total. The wine is aged for 10 months in bordelaise barrels of French oak (90%) and American oak (10%).The mountain vineyards have an age of 20 to 40 years, situated at an altitude of 500-700 meters, on stony, slimy soils with clay and limestone. The wine displays elegant ruby and garnet colour over a very deep cherry red, with aromas of vanilla, intense fruity tones and soft tannins coming from the wood. It has a long and pleasant aftertaste, perfectly structured and fleshy – it was considered slightly honeyed, even “jammy”. Peñin gives this wine 90 points, it was priced at €7.95 and it was awarded the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles Gold Medal – a very prestigious award from the old world order.  

And finally we tasted the very special Borsao Tres Picos (Three Peaks). The name reflects the Moncayo mountain vineyards, which are between 35 and 60 years old and situated at an altitude of 600-700 meters, on stony, slimy soils with clay and limestone. This wine from 2013 is made of  100% Grenache, and created by a 20 to 25 maceration, followed by fermentation in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature of between 25º-30º C. The wine is aged for 5 months in new bordelaise barrels of French oak. It has a very intense cherry red colour with tones of purple. On the nose it has a concentration of aromas of ripe red fruit with floral nuances. Low yields of less than 2 tons per acre give a concentration of flavour. In the mouth it is a well structured rich wine that evokes tastes of blackberry, plum and tones of leather and vanilla, with a soft and silky tannin. In 2011 and 2012 Peñin has awarded this wine 93 points! Robert Parker has awarded this wine his “Best Value Wine of the Year, Best of 2014” award. At a price of €12.95 from A Catarlo Todo.

John ended the evening with thanks to José and the restaurant team and to the Wine Society team who work so hard to make these events such a success.

Text and photos by Andrew Johnson                                                                                                                                                                                                   May 2015