Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Bordeaux blend 2014 Quest ferments exclusively in the 12th century stone lagares, small pools craved on the rock on the property, with malolactic in new French barriques where it matured for some 18 months. It's a silky and spicy red that mixes Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Merlot grapes from their estate vineyards planted in 2003. This wine was already bottled when I visited and tasted at the property but the labels were not ready. The nose is very peppery with an herbal twist and classical aromas of cassis and blackberries with a minty touch, very elegant and subtle. The palate is terribly tasty, with ultra-fine tannins and very good, fresh finish driven by dark spices. Some 11,400 bottles were produced.
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.