Bodegas Bioenos’s 2006 Pulchrum is 100% Vidadillo (aka Crespiello) sourced from 109 year old vines and aged for 27 months in 30% new French oak. The grape is so rare/obscure that it has no listing in The Oxford Companion To Wine. The wine is purple-colored with an already complex bouquet of Asian spices, cedar, violets, blackberry, and blueberry. Supple, ripe, and succulent on the palate, this dense, layered offering is surprisingly elegant although it has the structure to evolve for 3-4 years. This lengthy wine will offer a drinking window extending from 2013 to 2026. Frontier Wine Imports, Dover, NJ; www.wineimport@optonline.net

The 2004 Pulchrum Crespiello spent 36 months in new French oak before bottling without filtration. It offers a similar aromatic and flavor profile to the Gorys cuvee but is even more tannic and seemingly over-extracted. It will require a minimum of 8-10 years of cellaring but how it will evolve is anyone’s guess. If I were a relatively young deep-pocketed gambler, I might bury a couple of bottles in the cellar for curiosity’s sake.Bodegas Bioenos specializes in the indigenous grape Crespiello, so rare that even The Oxford Companion to Wine does not have an entry for it.Importer: Tom George, Frontier Wines, Dover, NJ; tel. (973) 328-4500

Among the pricier selections is the 2003 Pulchrum Crespiello, made from 100% Vidadillo, a grape indigenous to Carinena, and kept alive through the efforts of the Pablo family. Purple in color, with aromas of hard wood charcoal, blue, and black fruits, this full-bodied effort has a baked character and is a bit simple compared to what follows. Nevertheless, it is a solid effort that should be of interest to students of unique grape varieties. Kudos to the Pablo family!Importer: Thomas George, Frontier Wine Imports, Dover, NJ; tel. (973) 328-4500