Tuesday, July 8, 2008

1999 Abadia Retuerta Seleccion Especial

Last Sunday I decided I should open up a good Spanish wine in honor of the country's triumph at Euro 2008, and the choice was Abadia Retuerta's Seleccion Especial. This wine is from the Castilla y Leon region of Spain, just outside the Ribera del Duero DO. The wine is made from mainly Tempranillo, with some Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. I actually bought this a few years back for just $20, and for a wine of this age, wasn't sure how much life it would still have. I was quite surprised then to find that there was plenty of flavor right from the start, and very little fading 2 nights later when the bottle was finished.

I was really quite stunned by how good the wine was, and wish now I had more. I've had this winery's low-end offering, Rivola, on numerous occasions and found it to be a nice everyday wine, but this certainly was much more. I highly recommend searching for the most recent vintages of this wine, especially if the price is still so reasonable. It's a great example of the sort of quality available from Spain these days at a very reasonable price.

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