Wine of the week: Ludovicus Blanco 2011

Last week ?s discussion about the book ?Grape-a-hol ? made me wonder: Do I do enough to find $10 wine that doesn ?t taste like grape juice with alcohol? Are the wines I review worthy of being reviewed?

Then I found the Ludovicus ($10, sample) in my database, and felt a whole lot better about what I do and how I do it. This Spanish white is the kind of wine that the big multi-national wine companies claim they make, but know, deep down, that they don ?t even try to do. It has a little bit of citrus fruit, but this wine isn ?t about fruit. Rather, it ?s made with the Spanish version of grenache blanc, so it has spiciness, minerality, and even a bit of honey ? a combination that I don ?t taste in a lot of other wines. It ?s surprisingly complex and yet still drinkable at the spur of the moment, something else that hardly ever happens.

I wrote in my notes ?No idea how this wine can be this good at this price. ? It ?s almost certain to make the 2013 $10 Hall of Fame, and is highly recommended ? another reason why Ole is Spain ?s best wine importer.