The Fine Wine Event in Livonia, Michigan offered to its Wine Club members an invitation to a tasting of Spanish wines, including one from 2000.

We started the tasting off with Bodegas Agro de Bazan Granbazan Etiqueta Verde Albarino Salnés Valley Rias Baixas 2023.  Bodegas Granbazan is considered a crown jewel of the region with its pronounced French chateau influence.  Albarino has been praised in the area since the days of the Galician kingdom.  The wine is pure Albarino from vines that are over thirty-five years of age, grown on high granite soils on the banks of an estuary with strong Atlantic influence.  The fruit is de-stemmed and undergoes cold maceration for six to eight hours, with controlled fermentation in Stainless Steel tanks.  The wine rests on fine lees without batonage and then bottled four to five months after fermentation is complete.  A bright yellow wine offering notes of stone fruit, tropical fruits and white floral flowers.  On the palate there were tones displayed of white stone fruit, mandarin, touches of marzipan with refreshing acidity and a good medium count finish of salty air (salinity).

The next bottle of wine that was poured for us was Bodegas Agro de Bazan Granbazan Etiqueta Ambar Albarino Rias Baixas DO 2022.  The winery does not talk about themselves that much about their history, but they were proud to mention that the vines for this wine were over forty years of age from the Tremoedo Estate in the Salnes Valley.  The fruit was destemmed, soft pressed and a cold maceration for eight to ten hours in Stainless Steel.  Then it was allowed to rest on the lees with batonage (stirring of the juice and lees), fermentation and then aging for eight months, still in Stainless Steel.  A golden-yellow wine with notes of yellow plums, persimmon with citrus and a touch of lime zest and orange blossoms. On the palate this medium bodied wine displayed tones of the yellow plums, persimmons, in a creamy texture with bright acidity and a good medium to long finish of fruit and salinity.

The third and final white wine was R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia “Vina Gravonia” Crianza Blanco Rioja DOCa 2016.  R. Lopez de Heredia is regarded as one of the world’s greatest wine estates and was founded in 1877 and its Tempranillo-based wines from the Tondonia Vineyard is so acclaimed, that it is now part of the company’s name. Their white wine is made from Viura (the local name for Macabeo) with a small amount of Malvasia.  While this wine is a Crianza, which according to Rioja designation, White Crianza wines must be aged for two years, but only six months is needed to be in casks. This wine is made by their rules, and it is aged in oak barrels for four years, racked twice a year and fined with fresh egg whites.  It is then rested unfiltered in bottles until it is deemed to be released.  A pale gold-yellow colored wine offering notes of cashews, roasted almonds, saffron, white truffles, honey, dried lemons and beeswax.  This is a full-bodied wine with bright acidity that displays tones of being savory rather than fruity with a creaminess that displays nuts in the flavor and finishes with a very long finish of nuts and terroir.  A very distinctive white wine.