Spain comes to New Mexico with Vara
Bob Lindquist felt like he just spent time with the band.
The veteran winemaker, a pioneer in Santa Barbara County, has turned his attention to Spain as winemaker for Vara, an exciting new project based in New Mexico. He tapped into the connections at Vara and his wife, Louisa Sawyer Lindquist’s experience with Spanish varietals grown in California at her Verdad label, to find premier locations in Span.
“We felt like we had a backstage pass with wineries in northern Spain,” Lindquist said. “Tempranillo, grenache, carignan and viura are the main varieties we purchased from outstanding wineries that don't’ sell in bulk usually.”
Vara Partner and Winemaker Bob Lindquist.
At first, the wine was bottled in Spain and shipped to the U.S. But, as the project grew, the team decided it was time to put their unique touch on the wine.
“Fast forward a few years,” Lindquiast said. “We decided to take the business to the next level. We started to buy wine from Spain, have it bottled and shipped over. Then, wedecided, ‘why not ship wine from Spain to Albequerque and put it in barrel?
“We did the elevage in Albuquerque for the wines we’d buy from California and decided to do the same things with the wines from Spain.”
A traditionally Spanish varietal grown in California, the Vara Albariño American White Wine 2021 ($32) had apricot, nectarine, melon on the nose and a rich mouth coating feel. Flavors of apricot, honey and honeydew melon emerged. Even though it’s a high acidity varietal, Lindquist coaxed out compelling textures in the wine that were complemented by pronounced aromatics.
The old saying is Albariño shows best when it can ‘see the sea.’
“In Edna Valley, you don’t see the sea but you can smell it,” Lindquist said. “Edna Valley is five miles from Pismo Beach.”
Because of Edna Valley’s unique orientation; it runs east to west and a little north to west, too according to Lindquist, it has an open channel for cold air to pour in from Morro Bay and the Pacific Ocean. It’s a cool growing season, but in September and October high pressure systems usually take over and usher in warmer, sunny days that rarely feature rain.
It’s a charming varietal that's ideal for warm spring days and east to pair with a variety of foods due to its subtle flavors, texture and acidity. Yet, it hasn’t taken a hold on the domestic market. Chardonnay and sauvignon blanc seem to take up the most bandwith among white wines.
“A lot of what’s imported from Spain is the regular stuff; the big producers,” Lindquist said. “The best wines don’t come here with enough quantity to really get much of a foot hold. We’ve noticed with our Verdad label that it’s hard to get the price that we feel it deserves based on how much we know it costs to grow the grapes.”
Vara Partner and Winemaker Louisa Sawyer Lindquist.
The Spanish wines are serious as they tap into what seems like a recent excellent run from the country on the Iberian peninsula.
The Vara Garnacha Gold Label Vino Tinto Español 2020 ($28) had warm raspberry and fig on the nose with cracked black pepper and raspberry flavors. The Vara Tempranillo Gold Label Vino Tinto Español 2020 ($30) had cherry, cinnamon stick and clove on the nose; cherry flavors and a round mouthfeel. It was fresh and lithe.
Because of the longer growing season in California’s Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Ynez Valley, Los Olivos, Happy Canyon, Santa Maria and Edna Valleys, wines grown there go through a very cool summer. The weather doesn’t warm until the fall. In Spain, the growing season is generally warmer. Thus grapes arrive at ripeness in different ways. Soil types are different as well, with California’s marine influence of sea floor, fossilized sand gravel and white rock limestone whereas Spain has its Old World granite and schist soils.
“We have a number years of experience making and growing tempranillo in California,” Lindquist said. “It’s different in California, as most things are. It has a lot of complexity, richness and elegance. It brings all the balance of characteristics you find in other great grape varietals but is dressed slightly differently. We tend to prefer French oak we like that better. That’s to take nothing away from Spanish wines made in American oak, because a lot are. We prefer subtly. A less in your face oak aspect.”
Vara is the ultimate backstage pass, from a winemaking team that just put on an impressive encore.
