Ten Years On: The 2001 Vintage, Germany & Spain
Continuing on from my account of the wines from France and Italy in part one, we now come to Germany and Italy. Both were blessed in 2001; this was an excellent vintage for the Mosel (and other German wine regions) as it was in Spain, specifically in Rioja. I am aware there is a lot more to Spain than Rioja, of course, but other than occasional forays into the wines of Navarra and Murcia, and the odd glass of Vega Sicilia and Tio Pepe En Rama here or there, it is not a wine country I have any great familiarity with. Tackling it from scratch would be a Herculean task, and so my best wishes go to Neal Martin who is taking on this assignment for the Wine Advocate following the departure of Jay Miller at the end of 2011.
My focus on Spain was very narrow, and this tasting features just four wines from Spain. One, the Campo Viejo Rioja Gran Reserva, was a crime against Rioja and wine as a whole. I have to confess it was not a wine I acquired for the purpose of this tasting, but the bottle came into my hands by serendipitous (or perhaps not so serendipitous?) means just a few weeks beforehand. One, the Fernando Remírez de Ganuza Fincas de Ganuza Rioja Reserva, was attractive although in a rather glossy, ‘international’ manner. It made for an appealing mouthful, but seemed to say little of Rioja to me; this is exactly the sort of wine I am trying not to buy these days. Thank heavens for Lopez de Heredia and Marqués de Murrieta, especially their Bosconia and Castillo Ygay cuvées respectively. I confess, though, that in each case this was clearly infanticide; should you have any of either of these wines, keep them both locked up for the foreseeable future.
Moving on to Germany, happily I do have a slightly broader and deeper knowledge of this nation’s wines. Although to be fair, you do not need to be an expert to know that 2001 was one of the greater vintages for Germany in recent decades. There have in fact been many fine vintages since, but 2001 remains one of the best. Despite this Germany, rather like Sauternes, has been much maligned over the years; the wines just aren’t sexy, alcoholic and oaky enough for some. Thank heavens for traditional, balanced, terroir-focussed and acid-rich wines such as these; they are breath-taking to taste and drink. Those tasted here were, on the whole, no exception.
