Love wine

Gabriella and Ryan’s post inspiring wine bloggers to get creative and seek out a unique Spanish wine or one from an unheard of region for the comeback edition of New York Cork Report Executive Editor Lenn Thompson’s Wine Blogging Wednesday, fueled my determination to get my hands on a bottle or two that would expand my basic understanding of wine from Spain.  I didn’t find what I was looking for at a large retailer in Ithaca, so headed to my favorite wine store, Red Feet Wine Market and Spirit Provision.
My friend, Amy Cheatle who leads event and tasting room marketing for Damiani Wine Cellars, also works at Red Feet and directed me to the shop’s manager, Empar. She quickly scanned the Catavino post on my Droid X and walked me through a few select options.  Several of the wines Empar recommended sounded interesting, but the keywords that  got my attention and had me leaving with 2009 Bodega Bernabeleva Camino de Navaherreros Garnacha : cool-climate red, small production, Vinos de Madrid DO (one I haven’t explored).  Bodega Bernabeleva produces just 3,300 total cases currently, will be 100% certified biodynamic as of this 2009 vintage and is a rare find outside of Madrid.

Vintage-stamped cork

Label features the modern-day Bernabeleva estate symbol

Tasting Notes:
I decanted the wine for several hours and found cherry syrup and brown sugar on the nose. After it opened up a bit more in the glass, I got a gentle whiff of pungent flowers–hyacinth came to mind.  Color is black cherry with a slight blue hue on the edges.
Medium-bodied and slightly chewy with powdery minerality, the finish is silky and elegant. What surprised me about this wine is how much it changed as it opened up upon swirling and intermittent tastes.  My husband, Rich also tasted with me and he picked up plum flavors.