Mick and Amy were hosting dinner this part Saturday night and Mick decided a little wine competition was needed for the night. He had a 2005 Hacienda Lopez de Haro Reserva Rioja from Spain and a 2010 Fattoria le Fonti Chianti Classico from Italy as his pairings for both courses for the evening.
The first course was a barbequed Bree with a bruschetta topping (or "Breechetta" as we lovingly call it) with toasted baguette slices for dipping.
The main course was breaded Pork chops (some with basil pesto and the others with sundried tomatoes) with red pepper risotto and baked asparagus.
I will review the Rioja here in Part 1 and then do the Chianti in Part 2
The nose on the Rioja was big and dark with tobacco, moss and a hint of blueberry aroma in the background. Tasting the wine, raspberry was the main flavour with cocoa and green pepper overtones. The structure was interesting as the wine had good tannin levels and lively acidity but wasn’t very fruit driven so it gave the wine a narrow mouth-feel. On its own the wine was OK and came across very dry, but paired with the foods this wine really shinned as the tannin was neutralized and fruit came more to the forefront. As the fruit was lacking at times, this is not a wine I would suggest aging and it would be best to drink now.
Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 88, Mark – 88 Kathy – 87, Amy – 86, Overall – 87.25.
Here is the LCBO information on the wine –
HACIENDA LOPEZ DE HARO RESERVA 2005
VINTAGES 357335
750 mL bottle
Price $ 17.95
Made in: Rioja, Spain
By: Vintae
Release Date: Jan 18, 2014
Wine, Red Wine
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Style: Medium-bodied & Fruity
Varietal: Tempranillo Blend
Sugar Content: 5 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry
Tasting Note - The 2005 Hacienda Lopez de Haro Reserva is a blend of 90% Tempranillo, 5% Graciano and 5% Garnacha aged for 20 months in French and American oak. It has a beautiful, rounded, sensual bouquet with hints of over-ripe Satsuma and gravel. The palate is medium-bodied with a touch of piquancy on the entry. It has crisp acidity and taut tannins on the dry, dusky finish but it remains extremely well-focused. Drink now-2025. Score - 92. (Neal Martin, erobertparker.com, Aug. 2012)
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