Berberana Spanish Library Vertical (4)

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Think of all the things you can do in the twenty minutes after you’ve decanted these Berberana Vina Alarde Spanish Rioja wines as you wait for their aged character to truly come alive. You could peacefully reflect on your day. You could start reading that book you’ve been dying to get to. You could uncomfortably sit through enough of an entire episode of Animal Hospital to know that you never EVER want to see it again and still have time to wipe the tears of shame from your eyes.

You could even prepare a nice pasta or roasted pork dish that would go well with the subtle red cherry aromas and red fruit and tobacco flavors of the 2001 Reserva. Or how about a tomato dish that you could pair with the well-balanced roundness of the 2003 Reserva? Why, one could open a bottle of the 2001 Gran Reserva, pour a couple glasses, then call a nearby friend and convince them that coming over to share in its harmoniously smooth characteristics is way better than watching Animal Hospital. ‘Cause it is. Seriously.

However you decide to spend twenty minutes before enjoying the four bottles within this Berberana Spanish Library Vertical, just remember: Animal Hospital isn’t worth your time. I’m sure there’s an episode of Bridezillas on that’d be way better.

1999 Berberana Vina Alarde Spanish Rioja Reserva 750ml

• Varietals: 80% Tempranillo; 20% Garnacha
• D.O.C.: Rioja, Spain
• Alcohol: 13%

2001 Berberana Vina Alarde Spanish Rioja Reserva 750ml

• Alcohol: 13%

2003 Berberana Vina Alarde Spanish Rioja Reserva 750ml

• Varietals:  80% Tempranillo; 20% Garnacha
• Alcohol: 13%

2001 Berberana Vina Alarde Spanish Rioja Gran Reserva 750ml

• Alcohol: 13%
• pH:  3.45
• Residual sugar: 1.3 g/l

After gentle fermentation, the wine is kept in vats for a period of 12 months in order to be fully stabilized before being transferred to oak casks for aging. Gran Reservas are kept in American oak casks for 36 months. Following this cask aging the wine will then be aged in bottle for a further 3 years.
Woot