Rioja and Puglia at LCBO Vintages

Le Sommelier has two wines from Spain and Italy in the September 2nd Vintages release.

This Saturday’s VINTAGES release features two great reds from the old country. Neither is a newcomer to VINTAGES, and in fact, both have done so well in the past, that you should probably grab a few bottles of each before they disappear.

For those who love traditional Rioja, the 2012 Señorío de P. Peciña Crianza Tinto will be right up your alley. The wine is a field blend of 95% Tempranillo rounded out with Graciano and Garnacha, where the average age of the vines is 25 years. Grapes are hand-harvested from vineyards that are all farmed sustainably, without the use of systemic fungicides, herbicides or pesticides. The wine is then aged for 24 months in older American oak casks, during which time the wine is racked every six months by way of the traditional “barrel to barrel” method. The wine is then bottled unfiltered and left to age for at least 18 months before release. This wine could actually classify as a Reserva because of amount of time it is aged but the winery instead chooses to classify it as a Crianza, offering excellent value for this level of quality.

As a contrast to the traditionally styled Peciña Crianza, the 2012 Jorche Primitivo di Manduria DOP is a big, ripe and full-throttle (call it modern) Italian red, where the only similarity these two wines might share is the vintage. It is made from 100% Primitivo (AKA Zinfandel) grown in old vineyard planted over 40 years ago at high elevation near the ocean’s coast, making for a long growing season, with cool nights. These conditions are ideal to create a full bodied, rich and dense wine, but those cool nights ensure the wine is fresh, with well balanced acidity. It is aged for 9 months in a mix of French barriques and large, well-seasoned botti to help create a wine of structure and elegance. A wine from any other region would no doubt be closer to $30, if not more!

I’m really excited about the wines in this release. I hope you will give each of them a try, and please let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Reviews and Tasting Notes

Bodegas Hermanos Peciña
Señorío de P. Peciña Crianza Rioja Tinto 2012

“I loved the textbook 2012 Señorío de P. Peciña Crianza, which has the usual house blend of Tempranillo with 3% Garnacha and 2% Graciano; it was fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and matured in used American oak barrels for some 24 months with hand racking every six months. It has a great balance between age and youth, modernity and tradition, fruit and spice, balsam and freshness. The palate feels polished, with resolved tannins and very god balance. A great improvement over previous vintages. 100,000 bottles produced. Drink 2016-2020.” Score: 91+ – Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com, Aug. 30, 2016



“A solid nose of red fruit showing soft spices and light cream undertones. Full and velvety with good fruit concentration on the mid-palate. Fresh and fruity. Drink or hold.” Score: 91 – James Suckling, jamessuckling.com, Dec 2016)

“Fermented in stainless steel tanks and raised in used American oak barrels for two years, followed by two more years of bottle age before release. Deep ruby. Aromas of ripe red berries, coconut, vanilla and pipe tobacco, accented by a floral element that builds in the glass. Juicy, penetrating and appealingly sweet, offering vibrant raspberry and cherry-vanilla flavors that deepen on the back half. Shows good energy and power on a long, gently oak-spiced finish shaped by harmonious, slow-building tannins. Drink 2018-2025.” Score: 91 – Josh Raynolds, vinous.com, May 2017

Varietals: 95% Tempranillo, 5% Graciano, 2% Garnacha

Region: Rioja, Spain

Price: $21.95 (per bottle)

LCBO# 313726

Jorche
Primitivo di Manduria DOP 2012

This wine symbolizes the indestructible bond between the environment, vineyard and the work of man. The vines are all quite old and grow in the iron-rich earth, excellent condition for a refined wine, well-structured and with an intense colour, bouquet and taste.



“This a full bodied, soft, maturing primitivo (zinfandel) with earth, leather, cooked strawberry/cherry fruit and vermouth like spice on the nose. It is quite soft, dense and smooth with considerable heat (15%) and fine tannin. The flavours resonate long and loud. Excellent length. May not be the most elegant wine, but it has some appeal. Drink now to 2019.” Score: 91 – David Lawrason, WineAlign.com, Aug 2017

Varietal: 100% Primitivo

Region: Puglia, Italy

Price: $22.95 (per bottle)

LCBO#: 417535

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