Craziest Values of 2018? Sensational Màquina y Tabla
Posted on: 06/20/18 1:48 PM
I love how Jancis begins her introduction to Màquina & Tabla. It’s very Jancis, but it’s also special because it captures what exactly happens when everyone discovers and drinks Màquina and Tabla for the first time – crazy excitement.
“For a tired old lag like me, it’s quite rare for me to get really excited by a new discovery at a tasting, but this wine, tasted at last week’s showcase of wines by London retailer Lea & Sandeman, was truly exceptional. Fellow wine writers and I were positively burbling with enthusiasm over it…”
I can’t stress enough how exciting and good the wines of Màquina & Tabla are. Forget the insane price to quality ratio. Look at the thoughtful, sensitive (and organic ) winemaking. Look at the dazzling texture and concentration, look at the pure sweet fruit and the telescopic detail of mineral and earth. They are the complete and total package, doing everything for nearly every type of wine drinker. Yes, they’ll thrill the nerds, but they also will delight normal non-wine people, too. They’re that good.
Maquina y Tabla was founded in 2013 by husband and wife team Oriol Illa and Susana Pastor. Their estate is defined by a collection of old neglected vineyards in Bierzo, Rueda, Toro and Gredos. Rather than picking just one of these remarkable places, they decided to focus on a small collection of old, mostly ungrafted vines on rocky and sandy soils in all four regions. The results are sensational.
Oriol is the winemaker, cutting his teeth with prestigious natural estates such as Els Jelipins (you can hear Spanish nerds would swoon). Interestingly (and tellingly) during his time he learned to dial back on the aspects of “natural” that would harm the wine and refine his practice so that wines are balanced and, more importantly, healthy and not faulted. He’s still philosophically more “natural” than not: All his are fermented with natural yeast, the viticulture is organic and sustainable, he just won’t let faults ruin a wine. It’s refreshing idea I wish more “natural” winemakers had.
Maquina y Tabla wines are outstanding. The fruit is excellent, the balance is spot on. Best thing to do? Quantities are woefully limited but if you can, pick a bottle of each to see the differences in terroir. You won’t regret it. At these crazy low prices, the risk is so low you should scoop every bottle you can.
More About the Wine
2015 Terrazas de Serapia Tinto
Terrazas de Serapia comes from a 1.2 ha parcel of vines located near the village of Navarrevisca in the Sierra de Gredos. At an elevation between 1000 and 1100 meters above sea level, this sandy and granitic terroir is strewn with boulders and scattered with 70-80 year old, head-pruned Garnacha.
2015 Maquina y Tabla Blanco
Maquina y Tabla Blanco comes from a single un-grafted 2 ha vineyard of Verdejo planted on white sand in the village of Hornillos de Eresma . These vines are thought to be well over 100 years old having survived phylloxera due to the deep sandy soils of the area.
2015 Paramos de Nicasia Blanco
The Paramos de Nicasia Blanco is sourced from El Pinar, a vineyard in Rueda in the village of Torrecilla de la Abadesa. Totaling 1.5 hectares in size, El Pinar is planted with 50-60 year old Verdejo in sandy soils with a subsoil of clay limestone.
2015 Paramos de Nicasia Tinto
100% Old Vine Tempranillo. The 8 hectare El Pasiego, Susana and Oriol’s vineyard in Toro is the source for three wines – one clarete and two reds. While located in Toro, near the village of Villaester, Oriol’s cellar work is so uncompromising and unique (for the area) that his wines are frequently denied by the local authorities forcing him to bottle his reds as table wines. Paramos de Nicasia is made from Tinta del País, fermented by indigenous yeasts with a small percentage of whole clusters (about 20%).
2015 LDRS de Leonila
Laderas de Leonilla comes from a 4 ha vineyard tucked away close to the western border of Bierzo in the Sil valley near Corullón. This steep, north-facing site on clay and slate soils is primarily Mencia with smaller plantings of Garnacha and Doña Blanca.
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