Winers get together, Spanish wines

Hello everyone!!

Al and I had a wonderful time with our Winer friends! I hope everyone was comfortable at our little place. We just loved having ya'll over!! I promised everyone a rundown on the wines so here goes:

Moscato Dasti 2009 Villa Lanata (Italy): This was our greeter. It had a 5.5% alcohol content, so nice and refreshing but with very little alcohol. It was sweet, but nicely balanced with a creamy mouth-feel and soft acidity. The flavors were very peach, a little citrus and lots of vanilla wafer. Yummy.

Next was the Burgans Albarino 2009. This wine was very nicely balanced with melon, citrus and a full body I usually get with a white bordeaux. It paired extremely well with the goat cheese torte. The caramelized onions and bits of smokey bacon really complemented the wine. And the rich mouth-feel of the wine went well with the creaminess of the cheese.

Next was the 2008 El Coto Rioja. This was a bright crisp wine with nice acidity and lemon/citric flavors. It had a weight similar to a Savingnon Blanc, but the taste profile was less herbal (and none of that overdone grapefruit thing you sometimes find in Savingnon Blancs). It was refreshing and nicely balanced and was very tasty with the salad. The salad was greens with shrimp and a mixture of eggs, lemon and olive. The citric notes of the wine paired perfectly with the lemon of the salad.

Next was another Albarino, the 2008 Martin Codax. This was similar to the other albarino, but lighter, crisper and with a little spiciness that I didn't detect in the Burgans. It was interesting in that they were similar but different, and both were nicely balanced and very good. It was a good match with the pealla, which was a complex bland of flavors. Albarino is a traditional pairing for paella, which wants a white wine of some substance (like an albarino) to stand up to the mix of meats, seafoods and spices.

Next was the Allende 2004 Rioja (estate bottled). It was a very smooth wine that showed its age in a good way. It had aromas of licorice and dark fruit and a few people noted coconut. It had bright acids and firm tannins with a lingering finish. Overall, it was balanced and complex, a very nice wine. It paired very nicely with the sausage and pepper dish.

Next was a group of two wines and two kabobs with polenta. The wines were both Riojas. One was Ibericos 2006 tempranillo. This wine had firm tannins and dark fruit with a spicy finish. It was very good with the spicey pork kabobs in particular. The other Rioja was a Vina Zaco 2006 tempranillo. This wine was very pleasant. It was more fruit forward with bright cherry flavors and soft tannins. It paired especially well with the beef kabobs. The polenta certainly bears mentioning. It was very tasty and flavored with cheese and rosemary.

Hope everyone had a good time!!