When we popped in to the Nariz de Oro event in Barcelona on the 12th, we found that, in addition to all the top sommeliers in town battling it out nose to nose, there were also a number of wineries pouring their latest bottles. Some were big, some were small, but the one that stuck out the most for us was Bodegas Hiriart from the very distance and petite, DO Cigales.
What stood out? Their Rosé. Yes, you heard it right, a god damned Rosé. It’s rare to find one of these pink bottles that stands up as a serious wine, but Hiriart makes three different ones. They’re all quite tasty and not just in that, “Oh, it’s a hot day, let’s have some cold pinky wine” kind of way. They’re serious wines, especially the Élite. This isn’t some fake-blonde-hen-party Rosé. It has body. It has discernible flavors and it has this wonderful, finely crafted aspect of dried fruits. Small fig notes as intertwined with apricot to form a luscious, elegant wine that just happens to be pink. The most golden of noses agree.
It’s most definitely still a Rosé and is fresh with hints of sweetness, but it’s one for the whole table which must be in some small part to being a rather bold blend of Grenache and Verdejo.
