Pulp Fiction

The man above for those of you unfamiliar is one Alvaro Palacios, and if you're hip and stuff with the wine geeks you'll be all to familiar with his antics in sprucing up the Spanish wine scene. Having been privy to a dinner hosted by the man and having first hand seen the charm with which he presents his wines, I have to say were Quentin Tarantino to script a winemaker, it'd be right along the lines of this chap. Better still the Quentin Tarantino metaphor sticks for the wines he's behind too, they are a bunch of dynamic and individual wines that open in full throttle. 

Rioja. Homeland of the oak head. The Brooding beasts of cinnamon and vanilla, of cedar box, of tobacco. Stuff worthy of even the greatest armchairist extraordinaire. However, like most things, wine is an organic entity, the drinkers and drink itself are subject to change, and guess what, Mr Alvaro seems to be one of the driving forces in getting Rioja and Spain out of that cosy armchair, he's turning the that wine pulp into something altogether a little less drab,  so to say.  

His Crianza is the subject on the tasting block for the moment, and guess what this is one idiosyncratic vino. Dusting off the stereotypes of Rioja quicker than Uma Thurman clears out a room full of mad Japanese types jumping around with swords.

The wine is quite the interesting one alright. A Vineyard site of little over 90 hectares, knocking out what is described quite rightly as a purists dream. Vines embedded in the chalky soils of a hillside site, from which it takes it's name. the resulting fruit stands up to 12 months in oak with only the composure of "The Wolf" in pulp fiction, a seemingly care free pride seems to best depict the  fruits of the wine. 

The grapes which weave this little quirky chap together are a trio of Garnacha (Grenache), Tempranillo with a tiny lick of Mazuelo (Carignan).  How does it work? Fantastically, it's bright and refreshing. A consistent vein to the wine is a defining streak of shattering minerality that acts as a nervous system, tapping into every element of the wine as it boldly marches onward with a charm reminiscent of the chap behind it. More importantly how does it taste?

• La Montesa, 2008 Crianza - Rioja (€17.95-€20.00): Bright, purple with a a great depth. The nose relieves itself almost like a warning advising the faint of heart to promptly offer the glass up to the resident wine nut at the table. A wallop of a fresh blackberry yogurt with hints of fresh cream and blueberry jumping and filling the voids as it washes aside the blackberry, a youthful and fresh slap to lure anyone out of their dingy cellar. The palate follows up all is dense and well structured, with the fresh fruit dancing with the minerality tapping deep into its core  as the fruits weave a caressing spell. Blueberry and raspberry leading here. Really the best way to see this is a fresh fruit explosion that is nothing short of uplifting. (Score: 89 Value: 3.5)