Priorat Tasting at Wine Watch

I read about the evils of drinking, so I gave up reading! - Henny Youngman

Every time we show wines from the Priorat I am surprised to see how many new fans these wines acquire. They have gorgeous forward fruit and an early appeal that rank very high on the immediate gratification scale. Tonight, we will be tasting wines from Eric Solomon's selections and Weygandt Metzler.  Eric specializing in wines from the Priorat. his Daphne Glorian is one of the "original four" producers along with René Barbier, Josep Lluis Perez, Carles Pastrana, and Álvaro Palacios.  Anthony Pannone, Eric's right hand man in the southeast US and JT Morelli from Weygandt Metzler imports will be here to guide us through the wines.  Wine Watch Catering will be providing a few small things to pair with the wines. This is a walk around tasting and is limited to 25 tasters, the fee for this event is $45 all-inclusive for reservations call 954-523-9463.

Weygandt Metzler - JT

2006 Mas Martinet Menut Priorat 
Price: $20         Sale $17.60      Case $204

One of the best values that I have had from the Priorat this year. A blend of 50% Garnatxa, Merlot 30% and 20% Syrah fresh floral and herbal notes violets and wild strawberry and blackberry fruit very forward and inviting grilled meats. Wow lots of forward black cherry liqueur like fruit with black spices a bouquet of fresh flowers violets and fresh herbs an explosive wine with layers of flavors and a long finish one of the best values that I have tasted from the Priorat. Finish 40+ Excellent +

Mas Martinet ‘BRU’
Price: $38.25    Sale $33.66      Case $390

Aged in oak, the Martinet Bru has an abundant nose, showing fruity aromas of plum, cassis, and some dark berries together with toast, black pepper, oak and an overlying herbaceous note. Medium bodied, slightly 'rustic' in style, the wine combines fruitiness with muscular, well-integrated tannins.

Mas Martinet "Clos Martinet"
Price: $90         Sale $79.20      Case $918

The flagship 2006 Clos Martinet is a saturated purple color with an alluring bouquet of liquid mineral, lavender, cigar box, truffle, black cherry, and black raspberry. Fruit-forward, elegant, and smooth textured, this harmonious effort can be enjoyed over the next decade although it will continue to blossom for several more years. - WA 94 points Wine advocate

Eric Solomon Selections

2008 Conreria d’Scala Dei "Les Brugueres"
Price: $33.50    Sale $29.48      Case $342

Produced from 100% Garnacha Blanca. It comes from a single vineyard with 100+-year-old vines planted on the licorella (schist) soil for which Priorat is famous.

2007 Celler de l’Encastell Marge 
Price: $29.50    Sale $25.96      Case $301

(90 Points) The 2007 Marge is the entry level wine from Raimon Castellvi, owner and winemaker of Roquers de Porrera. Marge is the local name for the stone walls made of slate taken from the Priorat vineyards. It is a blend of 60% Garnacha, 14% Syrah, 13% Merlot, and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon aged for eight months in French and American oak. The wine is a glass-coating opaque purple with legs that ooze down the glass. The brooding nose reveals crushed stone, spice box, violets, tar, black cherry, and blueberry. This is followed by a dense, rich, structured Priorat with 1-2 years of aging potential. Drink it through 2017.  Wine Advocate # 181, Feb 2009

2007 Mas Doix Salanques Poboleda
Price: $30         Sale $26.40      Case $306

(93 Points) The purple-colored 2007 Salanques is composed of 65% Garnacha, 15% Carinena, and the balance Syrah, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 14 months in French oak. Aromas of Asian spices, incense, mineral, plum and black cherry are followed by a plush, opulent, pleasure-bent Priorat that delivers awesome value for this pricy DO. Give it 1-2 years to fully blossom and drink it through 2022.  Salanques is the result of a barrel by barrel declassification of Mas Doix’s flagship Costers de Vinas Viejas.  Wine Advocate # 188, Apr 2010

2006 La Vinya del Vuit "El 8" (95% Carignan)
Price: $105       Sale $92.40      Case $1071

(94 Points) The glass-staining 2006 El 8 is 95% Carinena and 5% Garnacha sourced from a single vineyard. It offers up a superb, lightly roasted bouquet of toasty oak, liquid minerals, underbrush, espresso, lavender, and blueberry muffin. Structured on the palate, it has plenty of savory, spicy fruit, ripe tannin, and a pure, lengthy finish. It will evolve for 5-7 years and drink well from 2015 to 2031.  Wine Advocate # 183, Jun 2009

2005 Closa Batllet "2 Vinyes"
Price: $120       Sale $105.60    Case $1224

(94 Points) The 2005 Closa Batllet is a blend of 65% Carinena, 22% Garnacha, and the balance Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah. It was aged for 15 months in French and American oak. It offers up a classy nose of cedar, liquid minerals, lavender, cinnamon, blueberry, and black cherry. Layered on the palate with silky tannin, this rich, full-flavored effort has great concentration and a lengthy, pure finish. Give it 2-3 years of additional cellaring and drink it through 2020.  Wine Advocate # 183, Jun 2009

2006 Bodegas Mas Alta La Basseta 
Price: $77.50    Sale $68.20      Case $791

(96 Points) The 2006 La Basseta is 45% Carinena, 40% Garnacha, and 15 % Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 15 months in 50% new French oak. A glass-coating opaque purple, it has a sensational aromatic array of liquid minerals, wood smoke, underbrush, lavender, incense, black cherry, and blueberry that leapfrogs from the glass. Surprisingly elegant, it has that extra dimensionality that only old vines can produce. Complex, hedonistic, and exceptionally lengthy, this brilliant effort will evolve for several years and offer prime drinking from 2012 to 2026.  Wine Advocate # 183, Jun 2009

2006 Bodegas Mas Alta La Creu Alta
Price: $125       Sale $110         Case $1275

(89 Points) In contrast, the flagship cuvee, the inky purple-colored 2006 La Creu Alta, a blend of 60% Carinena and 40% Garnacha from vines over 100 years of age, is not nearly as interesting. Dense and port-like (with 16.4% alcohol), it has plenty of power but comes off as compact and one-dimensional.  Wine Advocate # 183, Jun 2009

Menu

Selection of cheeses

Pork and chive pot sticker with Ponzu Black Vinegar

Herbed rubbed lamb lollypops with blackberry compote

Sausage and smoked sage stuffed mushrooms

A bit of info on the Priorat:

The first recorded evidence of grape growing and wine production dates from the 12th century, when the monks from the Carthusian Monastery of Scala Dei, founded in 1163, introduced the art of viticulture in the area. The prior of Scala Dei ruled as a feudal lord over seven villages in the area, which gave rise to the name Priorat. The monks tended the vineyards for centuries until 1835 when they were expropriated by the state, and distributed to smallholders.

At the end of the 19th century, the phylloxera pest devastated the vineyards causing economic ruin and large scale emigration of the population. Before the phylloxera struck, Priorat is supposed to have had around 5,000 hectares (12,000 acres) of vineyards. It was not until the 1950s that replanting was undertaken. The DO Priorat was formally created in 1954. The seat of the DO's regulatory body was initially Reus, some 30km to the east of the wine-region, rather than in Priorat itself.

In the decade from 1985, the production of bulk wine was phased out and bottling of quality wine phased in.

Early on, winemaking cooperatives dominated. Much of the development of Priorat wines to top class is credited to René Barbier and Álvaro Palacios. Winemaker Barbier, then active at a winery in Rioja owned by the Palacios family, bought his first land for Priorat vineyards in 1979, convinced of the region's potential. At this stage, there were 600 hectares (1,500 acres) of Priorat vineyards. In the 1980s, he convinced others, including Palacios, to follow suit and plant new vineyards in suitable locations, all named Clos. For the first three vintages, 1989-1991, the group of five wineries pooled their grapes, shared a winery in Gratallops, and made one wine sold under five labels: Clos Mogador (Barbier), Clos Dofi (Palacios, later renamed to Finca Dofi), Clos Erasmus, Clos Martinet and Clos de l'Obac. From 1992, these wines were made separately. In 1993, Palacios produced a wine called L'Ermita sourced from very old Priorat vines, which led to an increased interest in using the region's existing vineyards to produce wines in a new style.

The Catalan authorities approved of Priorat's elevation from DO to DOQ status in 2000, but national level confirmation from the Spanish Government in Madrid only came on July 6, 2009. In the period from 2000 to 2009, when it was approved as DOQ but not yet as DOCa, despite the fact that these designations were exactly the same but in Catalan and Spanish, respectively, the situation was somewhat confused. A new set of DOQ rules were approved by the Catalan government in 2006. The regulatory body moved from Reus to Torroja del Priorat in 1999.

The vineyard surface of Priorat has been continuously expanding since the Clos-led quality revolution in the 1990s. At the turn of the millennium there was 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) of vineyards, with an equal amount of planting rights secured. As of 2009, there are close to 1,800 hectares (4,400 acres).