Well Oiled Wine Company

Cascade Trade is excited to present the portfolio of Well Oiled Wine Company to the Seattle market. Comprised of incredibly well crafted wines from Spain, this portfolio concentrates on a small grouping of vibrant brands that taste great, look great and priced right. Well-Oiled Wine Company began in 2005 as a result of several market brainstorming meetings by Mark Clinard and Richard Riddell. Those meetings were focused on analyzing why so few of the terrific wines from Spain are imaginatively branded in the US market. Their requirements are demanding yet simple: Outstanding wine, Memorable branding, Excellent pricing.

This collection of delicious Spanish wines really hit the mark when we tasted them several months ago. From the very zesty, old vine Garnacha Rosé called Za Za at a mere $10 on the shelf to the elegantly supple Gran Familia Rioja for under $15, this lineup will bring your customers back in looking for more. These wines also represent fantastic opportunities for restaurant business not only because they are priced to pour by the glass but also because they are so food oriented. While a splash of contemporary hipness seems to be inherent in all the wines, they are still true to their Spanish origins showing just the right amount of indigenous funk and terroir.
Castillo Real, Bullas  
Bullas is the newest of the Murcian DO appellations located southwest of Yecla and Jumilla. Bullas is a topography of inland, rolling hills and the vineyards are planted at elevations that average around 2,500 feet. This is Monastrell country and some spectacular work is being done with this black, thick-skinned grape. In fact, Monastrell accounts for approximately ninety-five percent of the Bullas DO plantings and was merely considered a workhorse grape until the mid to late 1990s. To better familiarize you with this robust varietal, you’ll be intrigued to know that the French tend to make something a bit more stylish from the same grape - they call it Mourvèdre. Do I have your ear yet? Along with Monastrell, small amounts of Tempranillo are grown in Bullas along with Cab, Garnacha, Syrah and Merlot on the red side and Macabeo and Airén for the white wines. Castillo Real is 90% Monastrell and 10% Tempranillo. The nose emits aromas of crushed dark cherries with hints of spice. Once you take a sip, your mouth will awaken to a very smooth, drinkable red wine with good acidity and fresh black fruits. This wine sees absolutely no oak and only two light filtrations. This wine is a wonderful example of fresh, pure Mourvèdre in search of a tasty meal.
Santo Cristo, Campo de Borja  
This is a sexy dry Rosado from Spain with bright, full strawberry flavors. It is crisp and fruity with a very zesty acidity and solid structure making it ideal for summer pairings like salmon, turkey or any deck or picnic menu you can come up with. It is 100% Garnacha and unlike a lot of lean rosés that are lacking in body, Za Za brings some serious weight, a rich, creamy mouth feel, and a long finish. The grapes for ZaZa were harvested by hand during the second week of October from selected old bush vine fruit. The fruit was then crushed and destemmed. The must remained in contact with the skins for 24-48 hrs then the free run juice was bled to stainless steel fermenters. To complete fermentation, the juice was transferred to sur lie to be lees stirred for another six weeks to integrate flavors and build up mouth feel, length and complexity.
El Burro , Cariñena  
Cariñena lies to the southeast of Campo de Borja and due east of Calatayud nestled up against the Pyrenees Mountains on the border with France. If you aren’t familiar with the incredible values coming out of this part of Spain, I encourage you to taste some of the old vine Garnacha (Grenache) that this region is known for. El Burro is a deep and chewy concentrated Garnacha sure to please the most discerning pallet. As one reviewer said “I taste red licorice with Spanish earth undertones”. I would start with black licorice and go from there but Ok, whatever. Grab a bottle for yourself and see what you think. This area boasts hectare after hectare of 100+ year old vines.The 2006 El Burro “Kickass” Garnacha is made from 100-year old Garnacha fermented in tank and barrel aged 4 months in American oak. Robert Parker rated it 89 points and said - Tasting like a village Cotes du Rhone, this purple colored wine has aromas of kirsch and garrigue, ripe cherry and jammy red currant flavors, and enough structure to last for 3-5 years. It is an excellent value. This wine deftly reveals both elegance and power.
Gran Familia, Rioja  
If you are a Rioja fan and just absolutely love the flavors of Spanish Tempranillo, I encourage you to adopt Gran Familia as your new house red. At this price with this kind of balance and sophistication, Rioja just doesn’t get any better. Blah, blah, blah – I hear ya’. Trust me – spend the 12 bucks it takes to bring this baby home and tell me it doesn’t conjure up visions of Don Quixote working his Spanish magic. Better yet, convince me that this isn’t the best Rioja for the money this side of the Cascade Mountains and I’ll replace it with something more up your alley. Gran Familia is a classic blend of Tempranillo 90% and Graciano 10%. This wine has elegance, concentration of aromas and complexity of flavors. The low yielding, Graciano grape adds the necessary tannins that will make this jewel a lovely wine down the road a piece. This Rioja has elegance, balance and finesse not unlike a gorgeous Burgundy and Gran Familia is an outstanding example of the changes that are occurring in Spanish winemaking during the past decade. This silky red is all about fruit and good winemaking. Who needs oak? If it matters to you – Parker wrote: Gran Familia, a blend of 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano, is one of the best values I tasted for this Spanish report. It is medium to dark ruby in color with first class aromatics consisting of smoke, cedar, and leather. The wine has remarkable depth of flavor and length for its humble price.
Barbadillo, Rueda  
Barbadillo is a refreshing bottle of white wine made from 75% Palomino harvested from Sanlucar and 25% Verdejo from Rueda. When was the last time you tasted the Palomino grape? Probably not recently, right? Palomino is the grape most associated with the making of Sherry in the Jerez region of southern Spain. Though it tends to be low in fermentable sugar it does very well, as in Barbadillo’s case, when it is blended with a grape like Verdejo that has good sugar content and higher acidity. Barbadillo should be paired with your favorite seafood dish, antipasta or enjoyed solo on your deck this summer. The wine sees only stainless steel fermentation and some lees contact to make for better richness and body with only a very light filtration. Barbadillo isn’t nicknamed “The Seafood Wine” for nothing. Crisp, citrus flavors together with nice mineral balance and firm acidity sounds good for any tasty meal in my book. Dungeness crab anyone?
Tres Barcos, Toro  
Wine has been produced in the Toro region since the 1st century BC. As commercial production increased in medieval Spain the health-giving reputation of the wines allowed them to be sold in major cities, such as Seville or Palencia, which otherwise exercised protectionist laws. As a result many of the forty medieval churches and convents in the old town of Toro were built with wine wealth. What makes Toro’s red wines unusual - and has given them fame since medieval times - is their combination of top-range strength, full fruit, freshness and acidity as well as the ability to age well. This reputation is built around big red wines with rich, complex flavors and aromas of which Tres Barcos is a classic example. Made from 100% Tinta de Toro, Tres Barcos is sourced from grapes that are all hand-picked from vines between 25 to 40 years old. The nose emits fragrances of plums and dried fruit while your taste buds sense flavors of concentrated blackberries, plums and spice. Meaty yet distinctive, Tres Barcos is a very robust, red wine screaming for whatever suits you straight from the grill.
Bodegus Tagonius, Vino de Madrid  
Did you hear that explosion? It’s the sound of what’s happening in the wine world of Spain today as a very creative industry continues to craft more and more outrageous wines approaching world class. Surrounding Madrid mostly to the south is the somewhat new Vinos de Madrid DO. Modern day Vinos de Madrid is not unlike Bolgheri, Italy where the Super Tuscans like Sassicaia were born in the late 1960’s, where creative experimenting with different grapes like Syrah and Cabernet is resulting in luscious blends combined with Monastrell, Tempranillo, and Garnacha. Tagonius is a seductive and very balanced wine of 45% Tempranillo, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 15% Syrah. It is a deep, inky dark wine and it has massive concentration but it doesn’t end there. This wine is very well-balanced, and though it is big, it is not hot, nor does it bite. It tastes of candied black fruits, leather, spice, and tobacco, all recognizable in discernible layers. The finish doesn’t stop. Meet Tagonius – our Super España!