WTN: All Spanish at Vask
Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 10:56 pmA couple of Spanish wines at Vask, one of Manila's latest dining hot spots.
With modern and traditional Spanish fare on the table, we went all Spanish with a lemony and refreshing Lopez de Heredia Tondonia Blanco Gran Reserva 1987, a Lopez de Heredia Tondonia Rosado 1998 which was pretty bland to my taste and a trio of reds. First a Rioja Alta 890 Gran Reserva 1995. Very classic, a bit of wood, leather, mushroom, cocoa powder, sweet herbs and earth. Light and soft. About perfect now. This was followed by one of my favorite Spanish reds – Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Reserva Especial 2004. I love the over-the-top label of this wine. Quite dark. The nose is fragrant wood. Sandalwood, according to Markus. There’s quite a lot of fruit here. Blueberry syrup, plum and very ripe blackberries. It has a gentle sweetness to it and a rich texture but is definitely not heavy or cloying. Good length. It’s pretty soft and very enjoyable at this stage although it undoubtedly has a long life ahead of it. It’s certainly more modern than the Rioja Alta but an interpretation of Rioja I enjoy. Our last red was a Marques de Caceres Gaudium 2001. If I recall correctly this has a significant amount of Cabernet Sauvignon in it. A mixture of red and black berries. Sweet fruit but with a nice touch of acidity going through it. Not quite at peak yet as it’s more about the fruit now but it’s pretty close. The reds were a perfect match for the sopa Riojana which brought out the sweetness in the wines.
Lopez de Heredia Tondonia Gran Reserva Blanco 1987 by jaylabrador.winesteward, on Flickr
Lopez de Heredia Tondonia Rosado 1998 by jaylabrador.winesteward, on Flickr
Castillo Ygay 2004, Rioja Alta 890 1995, Gaudium 2001 by jaylabrador.winesteward, on Flickr
Our last wine to go with dessert was some Bodegas Hidalgo Triana Pedro Ximenez VORS 30 years. Rich and raisiny with the texture of maple syrup but not at all cloying. Very smooth and surprisingly easy to drink, I brought it as I was sure it would be at least as sweet as any dessert the Chef could come up with.
Bodegas Hidalgo Triana Pedro Ximenez VORS 30 Years by jaylabrador.winesteward, on Flickr
You can find the complete report at http://www.thehappylab.com.ph/latest-post/viva-vask/
With modern and traditional Spanish fare on the table, we went all Spanish with a lemony and refreshing Lopez de Heredia Tondonia Blanco Gran Reserva 1987, a Lopez de Heredia Tondonia Rosado 1998 which was pretty bland to my taste and a trio of reds. First a Rioja Alta 890 Gran Reserva 1995. Very classic, a bit of wood, leather, mushroom, cocoa powder, sweet herbs and earth. Light and soft. About perfect now. This was followed by one of my favorite Spanish reds – Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Reserva Especial 2004. I love the over-the-top label of this wine. Quite dark. The nose is fragrant wood. Sandalwood, according to Markus. There’s quite a lot of fruit here. Blueberry syrup, plum and very ripe blackberries. It has a gentle sweetness to it and a rich texture but is definitely not heavy or cloying. Good length. It’s pretty soft and very enjoyable at this stage although it undoubtedly has a long life ahead of it. It’s certainly more modern than the Rioja Alta but an interpretation of Rioja I enjoy. Our last red was a Marques de Caceres Gaudium 2001. If I recall correctly this has a significant amount of Cabernet Sauvignon in it. A mixture of red and black berries. Sweet fruit but with a nice touch of acidity going through it. Not quite at peak yet as it’s more about the fruit now but it’s pretty close. The reds were a perfect match for the sopa Riojana which brought out the sweetness in the wines.
Lopez de Heredia Tondonia Gran Reserva Blanco 1987 by jaylabrador.winesteward, on Flickr
Lopez de Heredia Tondonia Rosado 1998 by jaylabrador.winesteward, on Flickr
Castillo Ygay 2004, Rioja Alta 890 1995, Gaudium 2001 by jaylabrador.winesteward, on Flickr
Our last wine to go with dessert was some Bodegas Hidalgo Triana Pedro Ximenez VORS 30 years. Rich and raisiny with the texture of maple syrup but not at all cloying. Very smooth and surprisingly easy to drink, I brought it as I was sure it would be at least as sweet as any dessert the Chef could come up with.
Bodegas Hidalgo Triana Pedro Ximenez VORS 30 Years by jaylabrador.winesteward, on Flickr
You can find the complete report at http://www.thehappylab.com.ph/latest-post/viva-vask/