Spanish Holiday Array

Spanish wines offer such excellent value and style diversity. They’re great to hit up for the holidays, even if your celebration may need fewer bottles than usual in this crazy year. As I always do, I marvel at the complexity of Sherry, one of the most under-appreciated wines around these days. Both this Sherry and this Chardonnay merit a “*” as personal faves!

Fortified
92*
Bodegas Yuste NV Amontillado Aurora Jerez 19% (500 ml) $21 
This Amontillado based on Manzanilla Pasada has a forward, exotic nose of roasted cashew, flaxseed and caramel. The medium-bodied, dry palate is spicy in both flavor and alcohol. This is a 19% abv Amontillado! Vinous to the core, the complex and pleasantly melded flavors of tarte tatin with honey and burnt Valencia orange rind linger on the salty, pithy finish. Though only medium in acidity, there's enough structure here to make this a very drinkable - yet rather serious - wine. The solera base was started in 1991 and is housed in the Bodega Los Ángeles in the Barrio Alto.
Drink: 2020-24

Whites
90*
Enate 2019 Chardonnay 234 Somontano 14.5% $14
I love that this Chardonnay costs so little, but I feel like it deserves a much higher price tag! This is an exotic, and wildly aromatic Chardonnay that must have some Musqué clone in it. It has an oily, almost Alsace-like palate. Frankly, it doesn't taste much like Chardonnay, but it is absolutely delightful. Drink early to enjoy its profusion of lychee, guava and verbena tones in their prime. 
Drink: 2020-23

88
Paco & Lola 2019 Albariño Estate Grown Rías Baixas 13%
Youthful with aromas of succulent yellow plums and tangy white grapefruit, the palate layers on green apple skin and passion fruit. Juicy and lightly plump on the mid-palate, the medium-bodied wine is held up nicely by fresh acidity and a tinge of tannins. With or without food, this classically-styled Albariño sporting a refreshingly modern label is super versatile and sure to be a people-pleaser!
Drink: 2020-22 

85
Ladera Sagrada 2018 Godello Castelo do Papa Valdeorras 13% $17
Smelling of yellow cherries, heather and camomile, this is a mildly aromatic and moderately fresh white. Simple tones of pear drop, banana, guava and honey make its upfront flavors approachable. Add to that a solid coating of mid-palate glycerol, moderate acidity and a short finish with a whiff of struck flint, and this is a reasonably pleasant wine. I'm not a fan of drinking whites too cold, but I do think colder temperatures will help lift this somewhat imprecise wine's refreshment.
Drink: 2020-21

Red
89
Enate 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva Somontano 15% $22
This is another over-performing wine from Enate. It has a savory rambunctiousness complemented by evolving fruit that still shows shades of youthfulness in its generosity of mulberry and bramble. There is an easy-going, fine-grained development in this bold and impressive eight-year-old wine. The palate is vigorous in acidity in a way that makes it good for food and also refreshing to drink alone. Alas, it is a bit bulky on the palate despite the fervent acidity, and those sensitive to alcohol-heavy wines might find it trying to get through much more than a glass. Regardless, the medium finish with autumn-toned reflections is thoroughly pleasant.
Drink: 2020-23 

Sparkling
90
Marqués de Cáceres NV Cava Brut MC 11.5% $12
VInous and vivacious, this sparkler is savory and spicy. There is a considerable toasty note with a pleasant nuance of hazelnut. Aromatics include white flowers, crisp autum apples and touches of heather. The palate is expansive and mouthcoating with a generous creaminess. This is one of the best deals I've tasted lately from a producer making traditional method, or methodo classico ("MC"), wnes.
Drink: 2020-24

87
Cordorníu NV Cava Cuvée Classico Penedés 11.5% $11
Impressively clean with a fresh, fruit-driven nose of yellow apples and Normandy pear cider, this is a generous yet well-balanced Cava. The bubbles are tight, popping and persistent, and the moderate finish has a moreish salty tone with a hint of hay and marcona almond. Though a value play, this is a Cava with real intrigue! It is a classic blend of one-third each Xarello, Macabeu and Parellada.
Drink: 2020-23