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“…these are excellent values and should not be missed.”

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I suppose it’s fitting that the last two wines in my three part report are the first two I’ve tasted imported by Mary Taylor that are not from France. Although Ms. Taylor works with properties from Spain, Portugal and Italy, it’s mostly the French stuff that’s available here in Detroit and surrounding environs. Here then was my first opportunity to selections in the MTWines book from Sicily and Spain respectively.

2021 Mary Taylor Wines Annamaria Sala Sicilia, 100% Nero d’Avola, 13% alc., $15.99: Deep and dark in color, with some deep, dark berry and plum action on the nose to boot. Rich, intense and fairly fruit forward on the palate, with a melange of black berries, plums and cherries, and a little earth and mineral underneath. Full bodied and structured for at least a few years in the cellar, this is fruit-intense, but by no means a fruit bomb. The earthy mineral provides the “bass notes,” if you will, to anchor this, giving balance and complexity. As it opens in the glass, there is a noticeable whiff of sea air emanating, which seems to reflect the nearby sea’s proximity to these western Sicilian vineyards. This is Nero d’Avola that was NOT made with the international crowd in mind. It went over well at the tasting, and for good reason. It’s damned tasty. Find this wine

Nero d’Avola, the black grape of Avola, has been cultivated in Siclia since the Greeks brought the plants in the 8th century BC. The land where Nero d’Avola grows is characterized by clayey soil, well suited to black varieties and to wines with a more robust structure. This vineyard is very close to the sea, bringing sea breezes to the grapes and saline minerality to the wine. Manual harvest normally takes place in the second and third weeks of September. After a fermentation in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature and a maceration of minimum two weeks, the wine is aged on the lees for 3-4 months more before bottling.

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2020 Mary Taylor Wines Maria Cruz Garcia Navarra, 100% Tempranillo, 14.1% alc, $14.99: This delicious medium-full bodied red starts off with a pleasant nose of dark berry shaded with just a hint of dark chocolate. The flavors are fruit forward without being overripe, with rich black cherries, berries and subtle undertones of chocolate and earth. Structured for at least a few years in the cellar, maybe more, but it’s so taster friendly already, I wouldn’t argue against opening another bottle right now. I love how the earth balances perfectly with the rich fruit. It was pretty obvious from the tasters in my immediate vicinity that this was a big favorite of the event, and honestly, I’d enjoy this on a regular basis, especially at this price. Find this wine

Our Navarra comes from an 80-hectare vineyard in Corella, in the heart of the Ribera Baja de Navarra at the foot of the Moncayo Mountains. The average age of these vineyards is 50 years. This cuvee is 100% Tempranillo, which is a grape more common in Rioja, but we love how it showcases the terroir here. There is no oak on this wine; it is fermented and aged in steel tanks as is not inoculated with outside yeasts. This is a family winery working exclusively with their own vineyards.

During a stop at the Bloomfield Plum Market yesterday, we asked if they carried any wines from Mary Taylor, and were told no, they were only in the Ann Arbor location. That’s too bad for Detroit wine lovers, because these are excellent values and should not be missed. If you don’t feel like driving to the aforementioned Plum Market location in Ann Arbor, I have no doubt that you can special order these through any area wine retailer that does business with the Vintage Wine Company, Mary Taylor Wines southeast Michigan distributor.

Mary Taylor Wines are imported by Nashawtuc LLC, Sandy Hook, CT

Reporting from Day-twah,
Bastardo

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