Abadia Retuerta (Picture credit: ledomaine.es)
We like a good weeknight wine at Good Vitis. Something thirst-quenching, something fun, something that brings grace after a long, hard day. We also like a versatile food wine. Something with enough complexity to pair with a variety of food, something a bit acidic and juicy, something fun. A little bit of weight, real physical substance.
The wine at hand makes a compelling case for an elevated weeknight wine, a complex food wine, and, I think a good Thanksgiving wine. And, at ~$25, it’s well priced as a gateway to a prestigious wine region. The Abadia Retuerta Seleccion Especial from Spain’s Sardon de Duero region, which is part of the Duero valley located just west of the more well-known Ribera del Duero, provides more than a hint of the Duero profile and plenty of intrigue.
The Selectcon Especial is essentially Abadia’s field blend sourced from across the estate’s more than 500 acres and 54 unique plots that begin at the Douro river and cascade up the valley to altitudes as high as 2,800 feet. With such a variety of soil types, slopes and elevations from which to source fruit, Abadia is able to put together a blend each year that represents the best of what the winery believes it has to offer.
The 2013, which I tasted, is three-quarters tempranillo, and is filled out with 15% cabernet sauvignon and 10% syrah. I sampled it over the course of several hours to see how it evolved, and enjoyed it at every stage. Upon initial uncorking, it was a big wine that showed mostly saline, fruit and tobacco. As it took on air, relaxed, and released itself, it developed a wider variety of flavors and aromas, showing a strong note of tomato that I found quite enjoyable. Not especially tannic at any point, it retained nice structured and good acid throughout, leading me to believe that it will stand up to hefty meals like a steak, pasta or barbecue.
The wine was provided as a trade sample and tasted sighted. Here is my formal note:
The nose offers hyper aromatics of tobacco leaf, crushed cherries, tomato leaf, scorched Earth and black plums. The full-bodied palate offers nice acidic cut while the alcohol is tamed and integrated. Tannins are nicely polished and round. Savory notes of iodine, saline and tomato juice kick things off and stick through the finish. The fruit department is stocked with strawberries, huckleberries and blueberries. Cigar tobacco, espresso beans and dusty cocoa play supporting roles. 90 points. Value: B.
While you can find the Selecion Especial at retailers around the country, Abadia is selling it on its website as well, offering vintages going back to 1995. With the structure of this wine likely giving it the ability to stand up to time, I imagine tasting through a range of vintages of this wine would be a fascinating experience. Whatever the vintage, though, it’s a wine worth trying.
