THE CLASSY CORONA COLLECTION
Importers Wine Alliance have added to their Corona de Aragón portfolio with a classic trio: Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva. The three recently imported have all spent time in oak: 8 months for the Crianza, 14 months for the Reserva and 24 months in the case of the Gran Reserva.
All three are made from the same four grapes. It is mainly Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon but while the handpicked old vine Garnacha and Cariñena (Carignan), over 40 years old in each case, may be the minority grapes, they play a big role.
I don’t want to go on with too much detail but I do find it quite fascinating and if you want to follow it up you’ll find much more on the Corona wines at their excellent site here. All in all, Corona take their wines seriously and this trio underlines it.
Corona de Aragón Crianza 2008, Cariñena Spain, 13%. Stockists, €12-14, recommended.
This is a medium red with red fruit on the nose. It is fruity and easy drinking and comfortably spicy. You can more easily determine these characteristics by agitating the wine in the glass but your best bet is to fill the glass, sit back and enjoy.
Corona de Aragón Reserva 2006, Cariñena Spain, 13%. Stockists, €14-16, highly recommended.
This has quite a fruity nose, mainly ripe plum for me. On the palate, it is intense, fruity, spicy and dry. This was a good year in the area and this is a very good wine indeed with a long lasting finish.
One other good thing about this smooth beauty is that you may keep it until 2018. I won’t be taking that chance!
Corona de Aragón Gran Reserva 2004, Cariñena Spain, 13%. Stockists, €19-21. Very highly recommended.
The Gran Reserva has a terrific bouquet of ripe fruit aromas plus spice notes. In the mouth, it is smooth and elegant, so well balanced with rounded off fruit and spice, a terrific mouthfeel and, again, long lasting at the end.
Undoubtedly, this superb wine is the best of the three. Undoubtedly also, all three are good and each is value for money.
*****
Corona de Aragón Disparates Tempranillo 2010, Cariñena Spain, 13.5%. Stockists, €12-14. recommended
And now for something different. This Tempranillo is produced as part of a “special and limited collection of varietals” under the Disparates de Goya label. Goya’s homeland is nearby. The label on this bottle is by Mariano Rubio and is titled “Only Goya, Goya alone”.
But what is in the bottle? Well, quite a good wine indeed. Colour is dark red with black fruit and spice hints on the nose. You meet that dark fruitiness again on the palate. The wine is quite peppery and dry and quite smooth and silky with an excellent finish.
There is much more info on the wine varietals and the associated art and it is really nicely laid out and, I think, well worth a visit at their site here.
