Rías Baixas GRANBAZÁN “VERDE” (green bottle) 2001 12,5% Alc.
Toro SOBREÑO SELECCIÓN ESPECIAL 1999 14,5% Alc. 14m American oak

Very exciting weekend. The Albariño (11€) was nothing from out of this world; I’ll paste the TNs to the Albariño thread too.
Quite varietal with aromas of ripe white fruit and herbs over the typical (here very faint) floral notes. Pleasantly refreshing acidity gives structure. Sweetish apple nose dominates but the palate ends with a very persistent (and pronouncedly bitter) finish of laurel leaf (typical, but unusually intense here). 86-87

SOBREñO SELECCIÓN ESPECIAL 1999 (25€) from 416/31 (Tempranillo stem)
Uf! VERY serious stuff. Really slow tears and very deep crimson color. Profoundly telluric wine: mineral, turf/wet earth, ink, smoke, even ash (the backlabel says “sandalwood” very appropriately). An incredible (faintly spirity) perfume develops with air.
Intensely ripe tannin provides modern structure without ringing overextraction. Sweet fruit in the mouth in spite of all this mineral complexity: plums and blackberries. This fruit belongs in the jammy end of the spectrum, but the wine has complexity by the bucketful: no easypleasing upfront fruitbomb. Almost restrained for Toro. While it does not have the (French) elegance of a San Román, it has an unbelievable premature complexity.
Warm and velvety in the mouth, with sweet unobtrusive tannin, this is an amazing old world red (100% old vine Tinta de Toro) for those who favor this style.

Development over the weekend: double-decanted and recorked. Opened first half after 6h in bottle, second half after 30h in bottle. Perfume is even better in the second case. Inky mineral, and very complex blend with the fruit. Polished the bottle in two sessions, wish I had bought a magnum… 91+

Sounds interesting! I've never seen another Sobreño bottling than the normal Crianza around here. Is it one of those 200 cases micro-cuvées?

Apparently not: these were poured in April here though I missed 'em. Then you may remember we discussed the lower-end Sobreños a couple of months ago. Now the Selección Especial (deliberately delayed release so that they can apply for a Reserva label, I think) has finally hit here. No less than several cases to the Bodega San Sebastián, and most likely several others to the Osteria da Andrea (restaurant where DOFE distributors have THE big word, now with CBC too).
If a 25+€ bottling can make its way here by the dozen, in Zurich it must be being drunk under the bridges!

Actually, if I'm returning today to Gourmetland it's for a tasting of another high end Toro, Gran Bajoz 99. The unoaked 2001 was a taste-to-believe cheapie, and so was the reserva'98...