New Alexander Jules Wine Imports from Bierzo & Arribes DO's

SANTA MONICA, Calif. - July 6, 2015 - PRLog -- Alexander Jules, the acclaimed label of barrel selected sherries and Spanish wine and cider importer, has added to its growing portfolio of wines from unsung hero Spanish regions with two new gems.  One from an up and coming area, the other essentially unknown:  Akilia in Bierzo, from Fleur de Petrus and Quintessa-trained Mario Rovira, and Almaroja in far flung Arribes, from talented English expat Charlotte Allen.

Akilia produces a range of single vineyard, old vine Mencias and a very small production old vine Palomino/Doña Blanca blend.  Owner Mario Rovira selects parcels of differing soils and aspects around Ponferrada, tending organically to each vineyard, harvesting weeks before his neighbors, fermenting gently and aging in concrete, with much care to protect the wines from air.  They are lovely, delicate, mineral examples of how this special grape can demonstrate vineyard nuance and are built for the long haul.

Almaroja is the winery of Charlotte Allen, who lives in the "Wild West" of Spain, Fermoselle in the Arribes DO.  This little known region is along the northeastern border with Portugal.  Charlotte revives and tends 75+ year old vineyards--field blends of 16 grapes, many only found in Arribes, including the area's dominant Juan Garcia grape.  Her flagship Pirita is a co-fermented field blend of all of these grapes--extremely unique, smelling of pungent incense, cigar tobacco and stone, layered with dark fruit complexity.  Soils in the area are thin sand over granite bedrock, half ton per acre yields, organic with some biodynamic practices.

Along with Alexander Jules' sherries--which continue to receive praise from The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Somm Journal, LA Weekly and SherryNotes.com--the addition of Akilia and Almaroja make 5 producers in the company's budding portfolio, alongside Dominguez Cuarta Generación (Canary Islands), Bodega Vidas (Asturias--whose Albarín Blanco was recently named one of six Terrific Whites for Summer by Los Angeles Times) and Sidra Acebal (Asturias).

Owner Alex Russan has also recently released his latest sherry, an old Oloroso called "Los Abandonados" from a sacristia solera started around 1820, whose bodega was abandoned during a recession 40 years ago.  When inherited three years ago, ceilings had caved in, mature trees had grown from the floor, and the wine in this solera had concentrated down from 500 liters per barrel to around 200.  A concentrated, intense, bright and savory wine--a unique circumstance with a lovely result.

Keep an eye out for these, as well as new sherry bottlings from Alexander Jules this summer.

www.alexander-jules.com/imports.html

www.alexander-jules.com/los-abandonados-68.html