Golfo 8 L.2005 Vino de Mesa

Golfo 8 L.2005
Region: Vino de Mesa
Winery: GOLFO 7

Grapes: 24% Cabernet Franc, 20% Tempranillo, 20% Merlot, 10% Garnacha and 6.5% each of Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Graciano and Mencia
Color: Red

A joint venture between 8 winemakers, showcasing 8 regions and 8 varieties. 50% of the wine is a blend in equal proportion of each of the wines while the other 50% of the wine is composed of a blend that is assembled and voted upon by all of the contributing winemakers. The voting occurs ~1 year after the vintage with the young wines already having seen 10-12 months in oak barrels. After the assemblage, the wine was aged in 400 liter oak barrel for a further 6 months, fined with egg whites and bottled unfiltered. Barrels were donated by Demptos, Radoux and Quercus. Proceeds of the sale of the wine will be contributed to the construction of a winery and school for winemaking for native people in Mozambique. The wine is made all from fruit from the 2005 vintage but is not allowed to be labeled as a vintage wine given its Vino de Mesa designation.

This second bottling of Golfo incorporates wine from the following wineries: Chateau Tours du Pas Saint-George (Merlot, St. Emilion), Abadía Retuerta (Petit Verdot, Sardon del Duero), Bodegas Ada (Garnacha, Navarra), Viña Izadi (Graciano, Rioja), Bodegas - Bernabé Navarro (Cabernet Franc, Alicante), Cillar de Silos (Tempranillo, Ribera del Duero), Bodegas Marqués de Griñón (Cabernet Sauvignon, Dominio de Valdepusa) and Bodegas y Viñedos Paixar (Mencia, Bierzo)

Reviews
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, 92 points.
Saturated violet. Drop-dead gorgeous aromas of cassis, kirsch, blueberry, tobacco, graphite and lavender are expansive and strikingly precise. Dark berry flavors verge on jammy but maintain freshness thanks to bright minerality and acid lift. Really stains the palate, finishing with sweet boysenberry and blueberry notes and outstanding length.
Issue 133, July/Aug '07

The Wine Advocate, 91 points.
The proceeds for this project are for a worthy cause (check the importer’s website for details at www.grapesofspain.com) so it rises above gimmick status. It is a joint venture between 8 winemakers from 8 regions and 8 varieties. The contributors are all first-class and the resulting wine is outstanding. The principal components are 24% Cabernet Franc, 20% Tempranillo, and 20% Merlot, with the balance Garnacha, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Graciano, and Mencia age aged for a total of 14-16 months in barrel and bottled unfiltered. Dark purple-hued, it offers up a complex array of wood smoke, toast, Asian spices, blueberry, black currant, and mineral. Supple, layered, and elegantly styled, it has enough structure to evolve for 2-3 years. Drink this lengthy Bordeaux-like wine through 2020.
Issue 175, February '08