Abadia Retuerta Cuvee Palomar

As I mentioned yesterday, I opened a bottle of 2003 Abadia Retuerta Cuvee Palomar with my Spanish cheese plate. Because I was eating Spanish cheeses and morcilla, I desired a nice Spanish wine. As I scanned my wine list, I decided on a wine from Abadia Retuerta, maybe because it is a wine that can make me feel like I am back in Spain.

I first had this wine when I visited their winery on my vacation to Spain. It was the first winery I visited in Spain and it was a very pleasant experience. You can check out that previous post for more information about the Abadia Retuerta winery and my experiences with their wines, including a review of this particular wine. Fortunately, their wines are often available at a number of local wine stores and I recommend you check them out.

Later that day, we were having steaks for dinner, which we topped with some of the Valdeon blue cheese and Ibores. To continue on the same line with the wine, as the 2003 Palomar was now empty, I opened the 2004 Abadia Retuerta Cuvee Palomar. Would the vintage make a big difference in the wine? In fact, yes it did.

The 2004 Cuvee Palomar was a much bigger wine, and definitely paired well with the steaks. It had a darker purple color to it and a spicier flavor, with more complex tastes and excellent dark berry flavors. The finish also seemed longer and more satisfying. I had enjoyed the 2003 vintage but the 2004 was just amazing. This shows how vintage can sometimes matter, how a wine can be so different year from year. The 2004 is a wine that calls out to be paired with a juicy piece of beef. The 2003 though could be paired with a bit of a lighter dish.

Overall, I strongly recommend you check out the wines of Abadia Retuerta.