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Urban Oak 2004 Roble Red Wine Ribera del Duero

This is one of the lower-end wines of the Bodegas y Viñedos O.Fournier Group, which was founded in 2000. They own estates in Mendoza and Ribera del Duero. According to their website, their main objective is to become “an international group focused high quality wines and produce approximately 1.5 million bottles in different regions: Argentina, Chile, Ribera de Duero, Rioja and Douro (Portugal).” Go get ’em.

The wine retails for about $14. One of the conclusions the WSET asks students to draw is the approximate sale price of the wine. Is it a mass produced wine? Or a super premium, which usually goes along with small production. I think it’d be easy to tell this wine is in the lower price range because it’s not too complicated, but it is pretty good. (Score alert: Parker gave it a 90.)

2004 was a great year all over Spain, following the extreme heat of 2003. So this wine is juicy and ripe. It’s made from tempranillo; the label says tinta del pais, which is what tempranillo is called in Ribera del Duoro. The label says it was aged for three months in French oak, while the website says four. Three, four, what’s the difference.

Tasting note after the jump.

Strawberry season nears end

There’s still time to get out in the sun and pick your own strawberries. The Mattituck Lions Club Strawberry Festival was last weekend and we’re still serving strawberry shortcake with local strawberries at the restaurant. They’re using the same recipe Larry Forgione did when I worked at An American Place in the early ’90s. The story goes that it’s James Beard’s mother’s recipe and the secret is hard-cooked egg yolks in the shortcake dough. Makes it really rich but still crumbly.

Thanks Lenn

Lenn Thompson over at LENNDEVOURS did me a great favor and featured my blog on his blog. He’s been blogging about New York wine since 2003 and has attracted quite a following. Thanks Lenn!