Vina Magana Baron de Magana 2007
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Robert
Parker
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
This wine pairs very well with most baked or roast fowl, softer cheeses without too much fat. Unusual but successful pairings include clean-flavored seafood with a hint of sweetness, such as simply prepared grilled calamari, sea bass or brook trout.
Blend: 35% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Tempranillo, 10% Syrah
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A sensational offering from Navarra, the 2007 Baron de Magana is an intriguing blend of 35% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Tempranillo and 10% Syrah aged 14 months in primarily new oak. As its composition suggests, it is somewhat Bordeaux like with lots of black currant and cherry fruit intermixed with notions of forest, underbrush and barrique. Full-bodied, dense, rich and intense, this impressive red can be drunk over the next 7-8 years.
Other Vintages
2004-
Robert
Parker
Juan Magaña founded Bodegas Viña Magaña in 1970, owns 247 acres of old vine French varietals in the town of Barillas, south of Navarra next to the Ebro river. His first vintage was 1976.
The vineyards are located in the town of Barillas, which is one of the warmest sub-regions of Navarra. Its latitude is very similar to that of Rioja Baja.
Topsoil is made of gravel, clay and limestone, and its subsoil is mostly composed of gravel.
Sometimes you just have to break the rules. Take Juan Magaña, for example. 30 years ago, he had a vision. After researching the best wines in the world, he decided that he wanted to grow Bordeaux in the Navarra region of Spain. He found a nursery that sold to St. Emilion and Pomerol, and most notably the auspicious Chateau Petrus. The nursery owner even hailed originally from Spain, and knew what climate and soil there would grow his vines best. So what was the problem? The Spanish government did not permit the planting of Bordeaux grapes in Navarra! The D.O. (Instituto Nacional de Denominaciones de Origen) mandated what it deemed the best grapes for each area, and vineyards were forced to comply. Magaña’s most significant find, clone #181 class A Merlot, was not included in the government’s choices. So he had to sneak the vines in. He smuggled them over the Pyrenees Mountains, managed to get them into Navarra without incident, and named the first plot after the nursery owner in France. Thus was created the first vineyard of Merlot in España. It took him seven years to plant the vines while enjoying the romantic experience of his dream coming to life.
Spanish red wine is known for being bold, heady, rustic and age-worthy, Spain is truly a one-of-a-kind wine-producing nation. A great majority of the country is hot, arid and drought-ridden, and since irrigation has only been recently introduced and (controversially) accepted, viticulture has sustained—and flourished—only through a great understanding of Spain’s particular conditions. Large spacing between vines allows each enough resources to survive and as a result, the country has the most acreage under vine compared to any other country, but is usually third in production.
Of the Spanish red wines, the most planted and respected grape variety is Tempranillo, the star of Spain’s Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions. Priorat specializes in bold red blends, Jumilla has gained global recognition for its single varietal Monastrell and Utiel-Requena has garnered recent attention for its reds made of Bobal.