Tag Archives: Gordo

Wine of the week: Gordo 2014

gordoGordo, a Spanish red blend, is complicated, sophisticated, and more than enjoyable

I reviewed the 2012 version of Gordo, a Spanish red, 18 months ago, and marveled at how well made it was. The 2014 version of the Gordo may be more enjoyable.

The Gordo ($13, sample, 14%) doesn’t seem to be the kind of wine I’d be this enthusiastic about. It’s made with about one-third cabernet sauvignon, and regular visitors here know how I feel about Spanish cabernet. But this vintage, like the last, uses the grape to its best advantage, blending it with the native Spanish monastrell (mourvedre in France) to produce a wine where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Look for an earthy yet fresh wine, with almost herbal aromas and dark berry fruit that isn’t all that fruity. And, even though there’s so much cabernet in the wine, the acidity and tannins are muted, providing structure but not really being noticeable. In all, this is a difficult wine to describe because so many contradictory things seem to be going on – which, I suppose, is one reason why it’s so enjoyable.

Highly recommended, though pricing may be an issue – this wine is as little as $12 in some parts of the country and as much as $16 in others. This is a food wine, and about as versatile as red wine gets. Pair it with almost anything you can imagine, save fish or chicken in cream sauce. Having said that, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it shine with turkey pot pie.

Imported by Ole Imports

 

Wine of the week: Gordo 2012

gordoThe Gordo is a Spanish red blend where cabernet sauvignon adds character instead of detracting from it

The Spanish do not need to make wine with the so-called international grapes. If you make some of the best tempranillo and albarino in the world, why bother with cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay? Because, sometimes, as the Gordo demonstrates, international grapes used correctly can make the native grapes that much better.

The Gordo ($12, purchased, 14%) comes from my pals at Ole Imports, perhaps the best Spanish wine importer in the country. And, even more importantly, the wine is a labor of love for Ole impresario Patrick Mata – a tribute to his father, whom he called Gordo, and to his family’s long gone winery.

This Spanish red is a blend of 70 percent monastrell and 30 percent cabernet, and when I saw that on the label I almost didn’t buy it. Why ruin the monastrell with lesser quality Spanish cabernet?

But the cabernet doesn’t overwhelm the monastrell; rather, it adds structure and complexity to the monastrell’s fruit and spice. Look for a surprisingly rich wine for the price, as well as lots of black fruit. Highly recommended, and a candidate for the 2018 $10 Hall of Fame. And always, always trust great importer to provide great wine.