DENOMINACIÓN DE ORIGEN BULLAS
It’s not only a great honour to be appointed to join the judges panel of the annual DO Bullas Wine Competition – it’s a great pleasure too!
The Consejo Regulador (the Regulating Council) of this medium sized are of production in South East Spain is becoming increasingly more dynamic. Their belief, I’m sure, and it concurs exactly with mine, is that it’s time to come out of the shadows!
Let’s face it, when thinking of the zones of production here in Spain, there are other DOs that come straight to mind. Of course we think of DOCa Rioja, DO Ribera del Duero, DO Penedés et al. But it’s not just these world famous DOs in whose shadow DO Bullas has shyly stood for years, it’s also those of their near neighbours: DOs Alicante, Yecla and Jumilla.
Maybe it’s this that rankles the Consejo Regulador DO Bullas, and indeed the member bodegas, the most. After all they share the principal grape variety, Monastrell as well as very similar climates and soils and yet it’s these other DOs who are stealing the limelight.
Along with fellow judges, politicians, a horde of other invitees and the local and regional media I found myself in the atmospheric catacombs underground at the Museo del Vino, Bullas, for an excellent pre-competition tasting evening. (Incidentally, I doubt that there is another Wine Museum in Spain that is as dynamic and pro-active as this one!).
I’m not sure if it’s 11 or 12 member bodegas within the DO Bullas, but it’s a small number and they were all there showing off their wares, which equates to a lot of wine to taste! I started with the whites – easy as there were only three!
It’s true that DO Bullas is mostly about black grapes, which means lots of red wines and also a good number of rosados. However, whilst tradition (and conditions) dictate that reds are the predominate force, it doesn’t mean that whites can’t find their niche. Exhibit A – There’s a lovely and economically priced Macabeo/Chardonnay in DO Yecla Bodegas.
Chardonnay and the aromatic Sauvignon Blanc and Moscatel varieties are permitted in DO Bullas but there were none on show, even as blends. Personally I’d like to see some experimentation looking at the make up of the soil, the micro-climate etc to see where best to grow these internationally popular white wine varieties.
Of the three whites available, all made with Macabeo, I favoured the Bodegas del Rosario for its floral perfume, over the iconic (as it’s so commonly available) Cepas del Zorro, whose finish was a little sharp for my tastes. Bodegas Carreño’s white came between the two.
There wasn’t a poor rosado wine and there were a number all vying for pole position. I like the label, the bottle shape, the colour and the aroma and taste of Rosmarinus Organic Rosado which is a blend of Monastrell and Garnacha. This wine subsequently won the Gold Medal, which is no mean achievement, given the competition.
Rebeldia from Bodegas Tercia de Ulea was full-on with its 100% Monastrell rich flavours of dark cherries and a touch of stewed plum. Cepas del Zorro has 80% Monastrell and the rest Garnacha – the blend seems just right, providing a super raspberry and redcurrant nose and lots of flavour. Bodegas Carreño also provided a super rosado with loganberry on the nose and a slight bitterness on the finish making is a super food wine too!
There was one other rosado that stood out – for it’s colour! Bodegas del Rosario has followed the current world-wide fashion for rosado wine, making a ‘classic’ onion skin coloured, Provencal style rosé. Their representative, the charming Mara Martínez, explained to me that whilst the wine is becoming a hit in the wider, more global sense, it was difficult thus far to break down the local traditionalist barriers which dictate that Rosados should be pink!
At lunch, the following day, after judging, I really enjoyed this wine.
The night was getting on, I had to have a clear head for the competition the next day (I even, regretfully, turned down an invitation to dinner after the tasting, so devout and diligent am I, on your behalf!) so I was unable to taste all the reds. However I was impressed with all I tasted, and some were outstanding 90 pointers!
Bodega Balcona is often referred to as Bodega Partal, as a result of their first Partal wine which came onto the market some years ago, initiating an all too brief inspection of DO Bullas. They haven’t worried though, they continue to make super wines and have more in their portfolio.
I loved the vibrant plum fruit content of their Mabal 2013. It’s fresh, but wholly integrated acidity cuts through the mature tannin and oh so fruit laden flavour, plus there’s a faint hint of dark chocolate on the finish (a common tasting note for Monastrell) – more so on the 2014. It was difficult, but of the aged wines I preferred their flagship wine Partal d’Autor.
Of the reds I was able to taste (remember my dedication to the task in hand forcing me to retire early!) there were two bodegas whose red wines I thought outstanding – Bodegas Monastrell and Bodegas Lavia and I couldn’t really place one above the other.
I was delighted to recognise my friend Sebastien Boudon whose success at Bodegas Sicilia, DO Alicante, had caused him to be ‘head-hunted’ by Bodegas Lavia, which itself is a member of a group of three bodegas (I must investigate the other two!). Sebastien is French, in fact from the Bordeaux area where he learned his wine-making skills. Skills which he is putting to great effect in DO Bullas.
Lavia 2010 is made with 80% Monastrell and 20% Syrah, which has to be a winning combination, and is indeed a top class wine. The 2009 may just have beaten it, though it was close! Sadly, for reasons I wasn’t quite able to fathom. Lavia wines were not entered into the competition.
The wines of Bodegas Monastrell however were entered – and how! Two Golds and Two Silvers. Look out for Valché (priced at about 19€ but worth more for sure!) from this bodega, as well as Chaveo (about 10€) and Almudí (brilliant value at about 6·50€).
Contact Colin: colin@colinharknessonwine.com and through www.colinharknessonwine.com and via Twitter @colinonwine
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