I am always searching and trying new wines, in hopes of finding a home run. Some wines are much easier to figure out than others. When one buys a Medoc or a Burgundy wine that is relatively quite cut and dried and there is a modicum of expectation on how the wine will taste, before you even uncork it. Other wines tend to add to one’s knowledge from discovery and anticipation of what the wines will be like. Here are a couple of examples of newly purchased wines.

Ledo .8 Crianza 2007 is such a wine that warranted some research, and since I began writing this blog I have found a passion for these wines. This wine is made by Bodega Alberto Ledo in the Bierzo DO of Spain, in the Castilla y Leon district. Since this is a recognized area for wine, the term Crianza has some additional information for this wine. To be termed Crianza from Bierzo the wine must be aged for a minimum of two years with at least six months in certain types of barrels. It is made entirely from the Mencia varietal which is a native wine to Leon, but is also identical to another Iberian grape known in Portugal as Jaen. There were 875 cases of this wine and 148.5 cases were exported to the United States, so there is a potential of a limited window to secure more of this wine.

The other wine that I had to do some research on is also from Castilla y Leon, but has no DO for the region and is termed Vino de Calidad. It is Nicolas Marcos Pesico 2011 and it is a wine that should appeal to Century Club devotees. The wine is a blend of four varietals; Carrasquin, Mencia, Verdejo Tinto and Albarin Tinto. Carrasquin is native to Asturias and is low in tannin, but high in alcohol and is usually blended with other varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon or Tempranillo. Verdejo Tinto is a white grape grown in Leon, while Albarin Tinto is a black grape that is known in Portugal as Alfrocheiro. Nicolas Marcos has cobbled together ten acres of vineyards in eleven parcels of land, and he produced 575 cases of this wine. These two wines both have a potential to be home runs and only time will tell.