Holiday Buying Guide: Kirk's Spain and Chile Picks
Kirk Walker is our Spain, Portugal, and South America Buyer—if it has a Latin flair, Kirk likely brought it to our shelves. He loves research, and he’s a great person to talk to if you want to know how, for instance, the Andes’ rain shadow affects the vines in Chile. He’s also a good person to talk to in order to understand what’s going on with sparkling wine in Spain, the new wave of dry wines in Portugal, and for all your Rioja needs (I think it’s safe to say we all have Rioja needs). If you want to talk about the context of a wine region while drinking great wine, Kirk’s your man!
Here are his picks for this holiday season.
2015 La Rioja Alta "Viña Arana" Gran Reserva Rioja $44.99 95JS 95PG There could be no better red wine during the holidays than Rioja. What other wine delivers so many complementary aromas, flavors, and textures with what we’re looking for at this time of year? Rioja has that warm and inviting sweet-savory wood spice characteristic. The typical fruit profile ranges from fresh to slightly dried red and black berries; somehow that perfectly speaks to the end of the year, the final harvest and how we preserve it. On the palate, Rioja is rich and structured, satisfying and complementary to many of the hearty dishes that are traditionally prepared in the winter. It is perfect. We just received the 2015 Arana and it does all of this. La Rioja Alta has been making some of the best wines from Rioja for over a century. They make traditionally styled wines—kind of perfect during a season built around tradition. The Arana only has one issue with it, and really it is our issue not the wine’s: we need to wait. A challenging thing to do this time of year, but this wine benefits from 30 mins of breathing. It gives the wine more space to be more expressive.
Since we all have been very good this year, maybe we deserve a satisfying, savory wine that grows in very rocky soils? There are many, many regions where rocks are important to the character of the wine, but I just happen to be looking at a piece of Llicorella slate right now, hoping that I get some Priorat in my stocking this year (far better than a lump of coal!).
2019 Celler de l'Encastell "Marge" Priorat $19.99 Priorat is one of the most captivating wine regions in Spain. Secluded and rugged, it makes sense that this would be a place that in the 12th century the Carthusian monks would go to isolate themselves and make wine! It is those monks who give the region its name, Priory to Priorat. Fast forward 800+ years and this region is one of Spain’s most popular. With many small producers producing excellent wines most of which are priced like Premier Cru Burgundy. Celler de l’Encastell is a smaller family operation. They have three vineyards that added up are 6ha. Their winery is located in the village of Porrera, with their vineyards on the slopes around it. They make delicious wines. Their winemaking is simple: they want the vineyard to do all the talking. Their higher-end wines are exceptional and worth seeking out, but the Marge is what I am excited about this season. Reasonably priced bottles of Priorat that delivers complexity and terroir are rare. This does just that. This is a wine that is mostly Garnacha, with Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah. The wine is driven by the two classic varieties, delivering not only aromatic lift and great fruit, but that core of acid that best transmits that Priorat minerality. The French varieties broaden and darken the wine. Dark berry and black fruits mix with higher-toned red fruits, and just a little extra tannin, which in this case helps round the wine out. Delicious, classic flavors, reasonable price.
2021 Ventisquero "Tara" Chardonnay Atacama Valley $39.99 96TA 95DS 95WA One of my all-time favorite holiday gifts was a subscription to National Geographic. It is easier now to explore the world than when I was young, but there is just something great about seeing the expansiveness of the world in a collection of photos. I am certain that part of my fascination with wine is my exposure to that magazine. There is always someplace new to discover, or a new take on someplace that you thought you already knew everything about.
That is exactly what this wine does. This is Chardonnay from the Atacama Desert. Yes, that desert—where NASA tested the Mars Rover. OK it is not from that exact part of the desert, but, still, I have a hard wrapping my mind around that place combined with wine! Rather, this is from the western edge of desert, right as it approaches the Pacific Ocean, which turn out to be an ideal place for Chardonnay! Morning fogs, cold desert nights, and limestone. The first and the last are classic ingredients to great Chardonnay this Sonoma and Burgundy, but only in Chile is the Atacama a potential ingredient. The winemaking is simple; the goal is to highlight what makes this wine unique after all. Native yeast fermentation in stainless steel, then the wine was aged for 20 months in concrete egg and untoasted French oak barrels. You can tell that this wine comes from a very cool location: it is vibrant, energetic, and driving. The fruit is ripe, however, thanks to the extra ultraviolet radiation, there is a National Geographic article that will explain that. The wine has a savory lingering minerality, a salt-tinged chalkiness that absolutely speaks to the place that it is from. It has an Old-World-meets-New-World character, which is not surprising because that is a common way of describing Chile. This is a delicious Chardannoy that should be experienced, and this is the perfect time of year for a wine like this (not just because of crab season). This is a wine that gives us the gift of the unexpected.