Travel makes for interesting discoveries. Having crossed into Spain the wines have been very different from what was in the Rhone, Languedoc, Roussillion and even Beaujolais.
The many different Spanish wine regions are each extremely distinctive. Wines from Mallorca like Anima Negra and Oliver Moragues (aka as OM), local wines from the area surrounding Madrid. Elegant wines made in Bierzo from Mencia, the Rhone like reds from Priorat, racy whites from Gallicia, Penedes and more. Then of course there’s Riojas and Ribera del Dueros, so well known and yet so many Spanish wines remain undiscovered.
That approach led me to the wine from Cerra Gallina, a small producer from just outside of Valencia in the village of Campo Arcis, not far from the hill where the winery gets its name.
The main grape that Cerra Gallina works with is Bobal, an indiginous grape that is native to the Utiel-Requena region in southeastern Spain.
The 2015 Cerra Gallina Bobal is killer. It’s a heartbeating, chest thumping powerhouse, tour de force of sheer wreckless abandon and pleasure in the glass.
Made from 90 year old vines, the red wine is something to behold. It’s fruity, yet strong. It’s palate weight is mighty, but at the same time fresh and elegant.
It’s a jammy wine that conjurs up the aromas of bing cherries, blackberries, blueberries and black currants, along with some black tea.
The wine just so downright impressive, that’s why the 2015 Cerra Gallina Bobal is today’s WineSiders’ Wine of The Day..
