Notes from a Spanish dinner:

Alvear "C.B." Fino - 100% Pedro Jimenez, 15% alcohol, and clean and quite full
flavoured.

1998 Marques de Riscal Limousin Reserva (Rueda) - a very interesting wine,
named rather unusually after the wood (Limousin oak) in which it is fermented
and matured. Yet this is not one of the old style 'yellow' white Riojas, but a
newer style of white wine from the Rueda region made from 100% Verdejo. The
colour is light amber, the nose a slightly oily lemon and vanilla, and it had
good weight and a balanced finish. Very good with the seafood!

1993 Lopes de Heredia 'Vina Tondonia' Rioja Riserva - one of the traditional
producers. The wine was showing a fair bit of brickiness at the edges, and had
a nose that included spice and toffee. It was pretty high in acidity (though
not much in the way of tannin) and presented as a bit lean until we had food,
at which point it bloomed and became a different much friendlier wine.
Purchased in Granada.

1991 Castillo Ygay Rioja Reserva Especiale - from a vintage generally little
respected, but the wine showed quite well. The nose was oak and red fruit notes
and a bit of anise, not as sweet as the previous wine. It finished with It was
a little thinner than I'd have preferred but generally not a bad showing at
all. This one still has time.

1995 Pesquera Grand Reserva - big bucks for the next two. The wine is quite
dark and showed a nose that could easily have been a Bordeaux, but with a
certain amount of raspberry sweetness to it. The entry was easy, but almost
immediately the wine tightened up and it could clearly benefit from more
cellaring. It is beginning to show some complexity and has good clean acidity.
Very nice! Worth $120 Can......?

1995 Hacienda Monasterio Reserva Especial - similar pricing for a very small
production wine (125 cases). This blend of cabernet, merlot and Tempranillo
showed a much more international profile, which made the Pesquera seem
(unfairly) lean in comparison. The wine was even darker, with more sweetness
in the nose and smoky chocolate and cedar. Lots of things happening in the
mouth, with fruit and spice and a long slick finish. Excellent, perhaps even at
$90-100 Can.

1983 Fonseca - this wine has always been one of the more forward of the
vintage. The colour is paler than when I last made its acquaintance, but the
nose is still pretty warm and the heat follows in the mouth. It was a little
thinner than I'd have preferred but generally not a bad showing at all.