Exploring wine - Somontano
29/08/2003
On a clear day you can see the Pyrenees
Somontano is a small region in the southern foothills of the Pyrenees and is Aragón’s most recent D.O. zone. Meaning at the foot of the mountain, Somontano owes little in style, climate, or marketing to its compatriots in the rest of the region.
Centered around the town of Barbastro, in the province of Huesca, it is, for the most part a lush, green place with old villages, prehistoric caves, river gorges, rich red soil, white-blossomed almond trees and vines. Indeed, Somontano is so beautiful that when the Roman Empire collapsed and the legions could return home, many elected to stay. These expatriates may no longer have had an empire, but one thing they did have was technical knowledge about wine-making on a commercial basis, and they were happy to share that knowledge with their new countrymen. By the Middle Ages, Somontano was the center of a powerful religious establishment, whose monasteries extended the vineyards and set up a growing export business with France, just up the mountain and over the other side. The French connection stood the winemakers of Somontano in good stead when the Phylloxera disaster struck in the 1860s: They were able to expand both their export business and their vineyards, and replant with grafted vines when their own time came. Because the region is relatively small and very close to the French border, Somontano managed to maintain its links with France, and a good deal of its produce went over the mountains. In 1974 however, local growers decided that the time had come to establish themselves, and applied formerly for elevation to D.O. status. This took nearly 11 years) but, once approved, a great deal happened in a very short time. Somontano covers a wide variety of terrain: river valleys, terraced mountainsides, the rolling foothills of the Pyrenees. It is not the Pyrenees, however, which makes viticulture possible in this well tended region, but the Sierra De Guera and Sierra De Salines.
Today the great majority of production from 2000 Has. (4,950 acres) is in the hands of the top three companies – Viñas Del Vero, the privately-owned Enate, and the model co-op Bodegas Pirineos – each of which continue to invest in upgrading quality, both in terms of equipment and technique. Grapes grown in Somontano were originally, Garnacha (tinta and blanca) and Macabeo, along with local varieties Moristel, Parraleta and a white called Alcanón. Today these have been joined by Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir, which have joined the red pack, while whites now include Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and the wonderfully aromatic tong-twister Gewurztraminer.
I arranged a blind tasting of Somontano blanco and tinto wines and as my good friend Colin Harkness is reviewing the blanco, I will talk about the tinto. We had seven experienced tasters present, including Colin, Pepe from La Perilla De Cellar-Jávea, Pepe’s Cava expert friend the lovely Sylvia, our good friends and rapidly improving wine tasters John and Mary, my wife and founder of the now famous new wine term ‘as smooth as a deer’s antler’ Jan, plus yours truly.
8th – Enate 1997 Reserva (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) was good and still had a reasonable amount of fruit coming through (the tasters thought it was a good wine, but had past its sell by date), it was the most expensive wine on offer at around l4.40 euros.
7th – Enate 1999 Crianza (70% Tempranillo / 30% Cabernet Sauvignon) Placed 6th overall, this wine had the largest range of different scores, ranging from Colin’s lst place to Jan’s 8th – cost 8.27 euros.
5th (joint) – Viñas Del Vero-Duque De Azara Crianza 1999 (Tempranillo
/ Cabernet Sauvignon /
Merlot) another good crianza, with fruity aromas and a mature fruity taste with hints of oak – good value at 5.95 euros.
5th (joint) – Viñas Del Vero – Gran Vos Reserva 1998 (Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon / Pinot Noir) this result was a disappoin
Related Topics
On a clear day you can see the Pyrenees
Somontano is a small region in the southern foothills of the Pyrenees and is Aragón’s most recent D.O. zone. Meaning at the foot of the mountain, Somontano owes little in style, climate, or marketing to its compatriots in the rest of the region.
Centered around the town of Barbastro, in the province of Huesca, it is, for the most part a lush, green place with old villages, prehistoric caves, river gorges, rich red soil, white-blossomed almond trees and vines. Indeed, Somontano is so beautiful that when the Roman Empire collapsed and the legions could return home, many elected to stay. These expatriates may no longer have had an empire, but one thing they did have was technical knowledge about wine-making on a commercial basis, and they were happy to share that knowledge with their new countrymen. By the Middle Ages, Somontano was the center of a powerful religious establishment, whose monasteries extended the vineyards and set up a growing export business with France, just up the mountain and over the other side. The French connection stood the winemakers of Somontano in good stead when the Phylloxera disaster struck in the 1860s: They were able to expand both their export business and their vineyards, and replant with grafted vines when their own time came. Because the region is relatively small and very close to the French border, Somontano managed to maintain its links with France, and a good deal of its produce went over the mountains. In 1974 however, local growers decided that the time had come to establish themselves, and applied formerly for elevation to D.O. status. This took nearly 11 years) but, once approved, a great deal happened in a very short time. Somontano covers a wide variety of terrain: river valleys, terraced mountainsides, the rolling foothills of the Pyrenees. It is not the Pyrenees, however, which makes viticulture possible in this well tended region, but the Sierra De Guera and Sierra De Salines.
Today the great majority of production from 2000 Has. (4,950 acres) is in the hands of the top three companies – Viñas Del Vero, the privately-owned Enate, and the model co-op Bodegas Pirineos – each of which continue to invest in upgrading quality, both in terms of equipment and technique. Grapes grown in Somontano were originally, Garnacha (tinta and blanca) and Macabeo, along with local varieties Moristel, Parraleta and a white called Alcanón. Today these have been joined by Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir, which have joined the red pack, while whites now include Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and the wonderfully aromatic tong-twister Gewurztraminer.
I arranged a blind tasting of Somontano blanco and tinto wines and as my good friend Colin Harkness is reviewing the blanco, I will talk about the tinto. We had seven experienced tasters present, including Colin, Pepe from La Perilla De Cellar-Jávea, Pepe’s Cava expert friend the lovely Sylvia, our good friends and rapidly improving wine tasters John and Mary, my wife and founder of the now famous new wine term ‘as smooth as a deer’s antler’ Jan, plus yours truly.
8th – Enate 1997 Reserva (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) was good and still had a reasonable amount of fruit coming through (the tasters thought it was a good wine, but had past its sell by date), it was the most expensive wine on offer at around l4.40 euros.
7th – Enate 1999 Crianza (70% Tempranillo / 30% Cabernet Sauvignon) Placed 6th overall, this wine had the largest range of different scores, ranging from Colin’s lst place to Jan’s 8th – cost 8.27 euros.
5th (joint) – Viñas Del Vero-Duque De Azara Crianza 1999 (Tempranillo
/ Cabernet Sauvignon /
Merlot) another good crianza, with fruity aromas and a mature fruity taste with hints of oak – good value at 5.95 euros.
5th (joint) – Viñas Del Vero – Gran Vos Reserva 1998 (Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon / Pinot Noir) this result was a disappoin