Wine Review of Botani Moscatel Seco
October 1, 2010
Grape
100% Moscatel (Muscat)
Muscat is one of the most versatile grapes in the world, producing everything from drier-styles of white wine (such as the Botani), to sparkling wines, all the way through to late-harvest dessert wines. Muscat also has an incredibly long history in wine-making, in fact scientists from the University of Pennsylvania when analyzing pots from King Midas’s burial mound, concluded that wine made from Muscat was one of the alcoholic beverages served at his funeral feast!
Facts
The Muscat grapes for the Botani are sourced from 70 year old vines.
70% of the wine is fermented in stainless steel and 30% in French oak.
The Botani received 91 points from Robert Parker at The Wine Advocate.
As an importer of some of the best Spanish wines in the U.S, Jorge Ordonez has been fighting to bring the wine of Spain wines out of obscurity since 1987. When looking at a bottle of Spanish wine, look for the Jorge Ordoñez importer information on the back of Spanish wines, it’s close to a 100% guarantee of quality of the juice in the bottle. I know for a fact that I haven’t tasted a single-one of his wines that I didn’t think was anything less than outstanding.
Place
Spain is located between 36° and 44° north, on the same latitude as Italy (between Sicily and Tuscany) and California (between Central Oregon and the Central Coast of California).
The Botani comes from the Málaga wine growing region of Spain, within the larger Andalucia region.
The climate in the region is Mediterranean, meaning hot and dry conditions with little rainfall.
Málaga is an area that has produced sweet wines since Roman times. It used to be that wines made in the Malaga region were predominantly sweet, however with international changes in taste, winemakers have been pursuing drier styles.
Tasting Notes
Green, grassy, floral and minerally on the nose. The wine shows multiple dimensions on the palate; green apple, orange, grapefruit with subtle white flowers and fresh squeezed lime acidity. A hint of anise and spice toward the medium finish.
Food Pairing
Dry styles of Muscat pair very well with smoked ham, soft cheeses, light curries, shellfish, seafood, vegetarian dishes, quiche, omelets, sushi or risotto.
Availability
For the first time ever since starting this blog I for the life in me cannot remember where I bought this wine from!
Recommended retail I know is around $14.99-$16.99. If you stumble across it, let me know where you find it!
