2017 Alvaro Palacios Priorat Les Terrasses Laderas de Pizarra, Spain, Wine Review

Another wine from Alavaro Palacios, one of the wineries credited (rightly so) with the rejuvenation of Priorat. This is a blend of 55% Garnacha, 44% Cariñena (Carignan), with a "pinch" (1%) White Grapes. Purple in color with ruby swirls, opaque and bright. The nose has nice black cherry fruit with dust and spices. The black cherry fruit comes thru to the palate with an underlying char and slate/minerals. Nice texture. Good finish. This wine is young and may improve a bit but either way should drink well for another ten to twelve years. This will work with a wide range of foods from a steak to roasted veggies.

Grade:

Score:

Vintage:

2020

Current Price:

$33.00USD

Spain’s Priorat Wine Region: Small but Mighty

You can hardly find Priorat , or Priorato in Spanish, on a map, it’s so small. This tiny Catalonian wine region covers just 4,151 acres – Rioja, in comparison, is over 150,000 acres in size – but Priorat’s impact on the world of wine is large.

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Rhone Valley & Spanish Rhone-style Wines Tasted at the 2008 Hospice du Rhone Events

The Rhone Report: About Rhone and Rhone-Style Wines and Winemakers is part of an ongoing series. Last month we reported on American Rhone-style wines we tasted at the 16th annual Hospice du Rhone events in Paso Robles, California from May 1 to 3, 2008. We noted that this event was an opportunity to consider Rhone-style wines from a fresh perspective because, unlike most tasting opportunities, these events included Rhone-style wines from the Rhone Valley itself (51 wineries), elsewhere in France (4 wineries) as well as from Spain (4 wineries), Australia (17 wineries), South Africa (6 wineries), Chile (2 wineries), Argentina (1 winery) and the United States. While this was a California-dominated event, and while many of the Rhone Valley’s best producers weren’t represented, there was still sufficient European and other entries to make for interesting comparisons and contrasts.

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2019 Alvaro Palacios Priorat Camins del Priorat, Spain, Priorat, WIne Review

Vintage:

2019

Score:

Grade:

A-

Current Price:

$21.00USD

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.

2017 Celler Vall Llach Priorat Embruix, Spain, Priorat, Wine review

Vintage:

2017

Score:

Grade:

A-

Current Price:

$22.00USD

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

Campo de Borja: Spain's "Empire of Garnacha"

I must admit, I didn't know much about Campo de Borja when I first read about the results of this year's San Francisco International Wine Competition. I was surprised to learn that Masia de Bielsa 's 2007 Garnacha won the "Best Grenache" award – quite an honor for a $12 bottle of wine from a DO with only 17 wineries.

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2017 Alvaro Palacios Priorat Les Terrasses Laderas de Pizarra, Spain, Wine Review

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2019 Alvaro Palacios Priorat Camins del Priorat, Spain, Priorat, WIne Review

2017 Celler Vall Llach Priorat Embruix, Spain, Priorat, Wine review

Campo de Borja: Spain's "Empire of Garnacha"