Drinking the 2005 Odisea “Veritable Quandry”
The Odisea Wine Company is the brainchild of two guys: Adam Webb and Mike Kuenz. Adam hails from Oklahoma, which explains why the Metro Wine Bar & Bistro in Oklahoma City and at least one liquor store there carry Odisea wines. He’s a very nice guy and as a result of the quality of Odisea’s wines I have joined their Journey Member Program, which is how I got a couple of bottles of their latest release. I wanted to state this fact about my wine club membership up front as a full disclosure sort of thing. I do like Odisea wines and I have enjoyed their first 3 releases, but I will try to be objective in this review.
Odisea is a relatively new winery; the 2004 vintage was the first for Odisea wines in general. Their stable of wines has thus far included the Temporary Insanity Tempranillo, the Two Rows Garnacha, and the Muse Rosé. Their newsletter and Web site indicate some new wines in 2007, though, and I am hoping for a couple of white wines plus a “Rhone-style” red they have mentioned on the Web site. The 2005 red wine releases total about 325 cases, making Odisea a very small winery indeed that I predict will hit it big at some point in the near future.
I first discovered Odisea when I had dinner at the aforementioned Metro Wine Bar back in December 2005. I was in the middle of my brief Rioja period and I saw a California Tempranillo on the wine list that caught my eye. One of the sommeliers there told me more about the wine and I decided to taste it before taking the plunge on a full glass (at $11/glass it doesn’t seem too silly to taste the wine first). I loved the wine and drank a whole bunch of it that day. It turned out to be the 2004 Odisea TI Tempranillo, a fantastic wine that I have since shared with several good friends.
Fast forward to 2006 and the next release of Odisea wines. The first of their new wines is the 2005 Veritable Quandry, which retails for $18 and is the best deal in their wave of new releases. Now, for the editors among you, “Quandry” is indeed spelled wrong. I sent Mr. Webb an e-mail and pointed out the missing “a” in the word “Quandry,” and he claimed it was an inside joke at the winery. I am inclined to believe him, although that is a pretty smart way to dodge a typo!
The Odisea Web site has this to say about the 2005 Veritable Quandry:
“This wine is our tribute to the chaos that is everyday life and a pretty killer rendition of the wines we love from Northern Spain. The 2005 version will drink well young, but will continue to improve with age.” (link to original text)
The blend of grapes is very intriguing: Grenache (33%), Tempranillo (26%), Syrah (24%), and Mourvedre (17%). I am personally quite interested in this wine because I have only had Garnacha, red Tempranillo, and rose Tempranillo from Odisea in the past. The Syrah and Mourvedre are new additions to the Odisea winemaking palette, so to speak. Their Web site once again explains how this unique wine came about:
“We began doing blending trials on the remaining lots that we really liked, not based on any pre-conceived notions on what the end wine should taste like, but based on what we thought was the best blend. After many trials and over five months of tasting, we settled in on our favorite blend, put the wine together and put it back in the barrels to harmonize for another four months; after nine months in barrel, the wines were racked and bottled.” (link to original citation)
So, is this a flavorful quandary or a boggy mire? Only one way to find out. I opened a bottle of the 2005 Veritable Quandry and quickly inserted my WineKeeper “Keeper” to preserve the aroma and bouquet for several days to come. Here are my notes on the first glass, which I drank over the course of more than an hour to allow the wine some time to open up:
- Aroma: Very interesting at first, although somewhat closed; clearly needs time to open up (this is an ‘05 after all). I smell the bacon fat and roast meat of the syrah plus the earthy mushroom notes typical of mourvedre. I also smell some raspberry and cherry in the bouquet as well, which could be from the grenache grapes. After an hour or two, the aroma tended more toward red cherry and plum mixed with a nice meaty aroma, and away from the earthiness of the mourvedre. There was also more of a spiciness in the bouquet (something like a nutmeg or a clove style of spice) after a while.
- Flavor: A strong and complex flavor profile. Powerful acidity but not quite as much initial tannic activity as I expected for a red blend. Good balance of varietal syrah and grenache flavors (roasted red meat and cherry) with some subtle earthy undertones. After a couple of hours, the tannins started to appear a bit more and the wine struck a good balance of rich acidity, red fruit, and a lovely venison-type flavor.
- General impression: Powerful wine, definitely for the type of person who likes Zinfandel or Syrah. I like this wine quite a bit, although it would definitely be best with some roasted pork tenderloin or lamb chops, probably (rather than the chicken tacos I ate tonight).
I am pleased with the Veritable Quandry. At $18/bottle, it’s a good value and it meets the “$20 and under” criterion that so many wine drinkers seem to have. The Veritable Quandry does not necessarily typify the rest of the Odisea wines, but it is certainly a worthy introduction to their entire lineup and their style of winemaking. I recommend tracking down a bottle or two!