Raspay 2003

what’s this?

Name wine: Raspay 2003

Type: Red Reserva

Winery: Bodegas Primitivo Quiles, D.O. Alicante

AVIN: 9177879526441

Used on event: Vino Valencia Wine Night at Tahine, December 16, 2009

Sold in these shops:
• Beals cash & carry – 6,85€
• Bodegas Santander – 6,85€

This wine is made from very old Monastrell vines in Monóver in the high Vinalopó valley of Alicante. It has been made in the same way for generations, with the wine fermenting in great vats under the cellar floor, before being aged in oak barrels for 12 months before being bottled without filtration.

The wine is a jolt to the system in the way that it contrasts to the contemporary emphasis on fresh fruit. But there is fruit lurking in there, along with heaps of other flavours.

It has been called a “wine nerd’s wine”, but I think it is a wine that doesn’t at all require extra effort or expertise to enjoy, it is for savouring and for food.

Robert Parker’s “Wine Advocate” has given Raspay a 90-point rating, and it is a privilege to present it at this last Vino Valencia event of 2009.

Vino Valencia Tasting Notes

Appearance: Brick-red, with a touch of ochre.
Nose: Intensely sherry-like impact, dried fruit (figs, dates), with forest fruits, cedar, a touch of cocoa, and leather.
Palate: Tastes like the earth itself, spices, a touch of clay, then dark and complex wine.
Tahine food thoughts: a brilliantly radical response to this determinedly old-fashioned (I prefer classic) wine – nuts and seafood, perhaps langoustine.