Spain

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• Yecla

Rottlan Torra is one of the oldest producers in Priorat dating from the early 1980's before the area's rebirth.  A blend of 25% Garnacha, 25% Carignan, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Syrah, and 10% Merlot, this wine is drinking wonderfully right now.  2005 was a great vintage.  Purple in color, shimmering bright with no signs of age.  The nose has black cherries, salinity, black licorice and slate/minerals.  On the palate, lots of fruit; black cherries and black raspberries with an underlying minerality.  A nice complexity.  Long finish.  This should continue to drink well for another seven to

From a Garage winery that utilizes small plots of individual vineyards with older vines around Priorat.  The Torroja vineyard has vines that are 50 to 75 years old and are biodynamically farmed.  A blend of Garnacha and Carinena.   This seemed to be a love it or hate it wine in a recent tasting.  Interestingly, the label lists 13.5% abv which is pretty low for Priorat and probably why it might have difficulty in a comparative tasting with a lot of wines.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has lots of spice along with black cherries and anise.  With air some minerals come out.  O

This is a blend of Grenache, Carignan and Syrah.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  Tasted among a variety of Priorat wines, this was significantly lighter in color with more ruby than purple tones.  The nose is nice with raspberries, cherries and spice. Medium bodied.  Lighter on the palate as well with notes of black cherries and cherries.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This is ready to drink now and should drink well for three to five more years.  It will work well with stews or chili.  

Another top producer in Priorat, this is their entry level red.  It is a blend of  27% Garnacha, 26% Merlot, 21% Syrah, 18% Cariñena, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Inky purple in color, shimmering bright and opaque.  The nose has dust, black cherries, plums and coffee.  On the palate, spicy black cherry fruit.  Medium tannins.  The alcohol is noticeable but not obtrusive.  Long finish.  This is delicious and in need of some cellar time.  Perhaps another three to five years.  This drinks great on its own but will need big food right now.  Perhaps after a few years it calms down.  This is the kind

From one of the original wineries in Priorat's rebirth in the early 1990's.  This is an entry level wine. It is a blend of 35% Garnacha, 24% Syrah, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cariñena, 10% Merlot and 3% other grapes.  Purple/ruby in color.  The nose has black cherries with a slightly sweet black licorice note.  On the palate, this is sweet and jammy, ripe black cherries.  Nice texture. Monolithic.  Of course, this is young so it may develop more.  It drinks better on its own right now than with food.  Probably best to drink over the next three to five years.  

This is the entry level wine from one of the better producers in Priorat. A blend of 35% Garnacha, 35% Mazuelo and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is spicy with black cherries and a touch of dill.  On the palate, this is soft with bitter cherries.  It has firm tannins.  Bitter on the finish.  It doesn't seem like this will get better but it shows no real signs of age.  Still, iits probably best to drink in the next three to five years.  

This is 100% Godello grape from northwest Spain.  It has a deep golden color to it which leads me to believe it sees at least some barrel ageing.  The nose is nice with orange peel,  and a bit of smoke.  This is a pretty big white wine.  Nice texture with good acidity.  There is some orange and also grapefruit on the palate.  Some lemon kicks in on the finish.  It does have slight tannins.  This seems to be drinking well now although it might have been a bit fresher a year or two ago.  It should probably be consumed in the next year or two.  

This is made from the Pedro Ximinez or PX grape.  It is a sweet dessert wine.  Coffee brown in color with some green twinges (think Madeira), opaque and bright.  The nose is gorgeous and complex with tootsie roll notes along with raisins, figs and a touch of burnt orange peel.  Also a sort of sea air salinity lurks in the background.  This is viscous like 10W40 motor oil.  On the palate, this is sweet.  Notes of coffee, toffee layer with dark chocolate and the light salinity comes thru.  Complex and deep but also delicious.  A little goes a long way.  Very smooth.  This should last for a lo

A pleasure to again revisit this wine.  It often gets short shrift these days, but for those who haven't tried it, this is a very nice sweet wine that offers pleasure and value.  If you get a bottle for the holidays, don't re-gift it.  You may be pleasantly surprised.  Open it up and try it.  It is a blend of Fino, Amontillado and Oloroso, with some Pedro Ximénez.   Iced tea in color, clear and bright.  The nose has toffee with slight caramel.  There is some noticeable alcohol on the nose.  Viscous texture and full bodied.  On the palate, this is sweet but not cloying.  There is a nice acid

Olorosso sherries are an acquired taste.  This is dry and different from most wines.  For those of us who love this style, this is a good thing as sherries have some of the best quality to price ratio in the wine world.  Olorosso sherries are made in an oxidative wine from the start.  They are fortified with a neutral spirit (around 17or 18% abv) that kills the yeasts.  This one is quite smooth and tasty.  Deep amber in color, clear and bright.  The nose is oxidized with walnuts and some apricots and orange peel.  Full bodied.  On the palate, the alcohol is noticeable but not bitter or hot.