On the Air France flight:

NV Heidsieck Monopole Brut
nose: lightly toasty
palate: slightly creamy, modest acidity, lemony

'07 La Vieille Ferme Blanc Côtes de Ventoux
nose: slightly floral, minerals
palate: simple, correct, decent acidity

'04 Marques de Riscal Rioja Reserva
nose: meaty, floral
palate: red, plummy fruit, perhaps slightly cooked, meat, chalky tannins

Dinner at Monvínic:

'07 Dönnhoff Tonschiefer Riesling Trocken
nose: stones and peaches
palate: bone dry, grapefruit, high acidity

(with a salad of tomatoes and shrimp, dressed with oil)

'07 Telmo Rodriguez Rueda 'Basa'
nose: green, herbal
palate: crisp, lean, modest fruit

(with a selection of charcuterie)

'00 Comte Armand Pommard 1er Clos des Epeneaux
nose: initially Bretty, later turning into pencil lead and tart raspberry
palate: bright, chalky tannins, deep red berry fruit

(with a mushroom salad and pigeon with parmentier)

[N.B.: I had asked Cesar, the sommelier, for advice on which '00 Burg to
open, this one or a Chandon de Briailles Corton. His response was that
the latter was still very tannic, so we opted for the former and had no
regrets]

Wines at El Celler de Can Roca:

NV Albet i Noia "El Celler" Cava
nose: floral, lightly fruity with herbal overtones
palate; delicate mousse, good acidity, very lightly toasty, creamy
texture, herbal finish

This was a mixture of Xarel-lo (the major component), another grape I
didn't write down and Chardonnay (in minor quantities).

'07 Rebholz Riesling Trocken "Im Sonnenschein"
nose: stones, floral, citrus
palate: grapefruit and stones

'05 Can Ràfols dels Caus Xarel-lo 'Pairal' Penedés
nose: slight hint of botrytis, slight note of oxidation
palate: high acidity, dry, slightly oxidative

Hidalgo 'La Panesa' Jerez Fino
nose: butterscotch, nutty
palate: bone dry, nutty, oxidative Sherry flavors

'07 Bodegas Valdesil Valdeorras
nose: minerals, citrus, a hint of flowers
palate: crisp acidity, off-dry

On first whiff, this Godello struck me as very Muscadet-like. In the
mouth, the off-dry character distinguished it. An altogether lovely wine.

'06 Clos Mogador Clos Nelin Priorat Blanco
nose: alcohol, butter, licorice
palate: acidity, rich mouthfeel, white stonefruit

This wine tasted like Roussanne, but is more likely a blend of Grenache
blanc with Macabeo. On its own, the wine was a bit hot, but paired with
the sea bass with olives, this wine was superb. Quite a revelation.

'03 Clos Martinet Priorat
nose: Zinfandel!! spice, pencil lead
palate: high acid, spice, Zinberry fruit

One sniff of this and I turned to Jean and asked her, "What does this
smell like?" Her instantaneous response was "ZInfandel," thereby
confirming that I hadn't lost my marbles. Lively red berry fruit really
reminded us of a well-made Zin, made only a little less believable by
the high acidity. Not overextracted or overripe.

'04 F. Villard St.Joseph
nose: hints of Band-Aid, red fruit
palate; forward fruit, grapefruit acidity, gamey complexity

'90 Lustau Oloroso Abocado
nose: nutty, butterscotch
palate; acidic entry, nuts, peanut butter on the finish

'02 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf RIesling Auslese Gaisbhöhl
nose: orange, apricot, botrytis
palate: high acidity, citrusy flavors

Fernando de Castillo Pedro Ximénez Jerez
nose: raisins, baking spices
palate: intense, thick, raisiny

Monvínic revisited:

'05 Schloss Gobelsburg Riesling Alte Reben
nose: hint of petrol, lime, stone fruit
palate: crisp acidity, rich mouthfeel, citrus

'07 Dönnhoff Riesling Dellchen
nose: lime, apricot/peach
palate: medium body, fruity

Bodegas Pedro Domecq Palo Cortado Capuchino
nose: slightly oxidative, instensely nutty
palate: dry entry, spicy, long finish

Additional wine:

'08 Torres de Casta Rosado
nose: fresh strawberry fruit, stones
palate: crisp acidity, bright, light fruit

(End of travelogue)
Mark Lipton

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