Bobal

From Slovenia yesterday, today we are headed to Spain. And, we have to get to the Eastern part of the country near Valencia. In fact, we are headed to a fairly obscure wine region in the country known as Utiel-Requena. 

We couldn't fly directly from Ljubljana to Valencia, so instead we took a trip to Madrid. There, our driver met us at the airport for our trip to Utiel Requena. No matter how we take the ride, it's about two and one-half hours and it is not an exciting ride. Traversting the relatively flat countryside, we see unassuming vegetation most of the way. Sadly, nothing in particular strikes our fancy on this trip.

Technically, Utiel-Requena is a denominación de origen protegida (DOP) in Spain set off by the neighboring towns of Utiel and Requena. It's not one that we, outside of Spain think of often, but it is notable in the wine world for being the indigenous home and current producer of probably 80-90% of the Bobal in the world.

Should we care? Of course.

In many respects, Bobal can be winemaker's and vigneron's dream. It's a hardy grape, produces in large quantities and is generally disease-resistant. One of the only real difficulties with it is that it naturally stands straight and tall, so it can be a difficult vine to work with in the heat of summer.

The wine that we have been presented with today is 100% Bobal. This is a bit unusual as Bobal has the pleasant distinction of blending quite well with lots of other red grapes. We note the medium body, medium, yet very soft tannins, and the fairly high acidity.

On the nose, we immediately encounter both black licorice and pomegranate. On the palate, we add notes of rich cocoa, and the very dark notes of blackberry and black tea. The finish while not overly long is velvety soft and smooth.

Today, we are pairing this wine with dark meat chicken -- legs and thighs for people needing a body oart descriptor. And, the natural tendencies of this grape are to look for similar flavors. So, we've added some pomegranate to our dish prepared in a sauce of dark molasses, anise, and a bit of orange to bring out more fruit and add to the acidity. 

Low in alcohol and high enough in tannins and acidity, this wine does have the ability to lay down often for 10 or more years, but it's so approachable young that we rarely see that.


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