Priorat Wine 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 four different distributors that feature some of the best wines coming from this region today, in fact we will be serving two of the wines from the "original five", Daphne Glorian’s Clos Erasmus  and René Barbier’s Clos Mogador, along with a dozen other wines from this up and coming wine producing region of Spain.  Wine Watch Catering's Toni Lampasone will be providing a few small treats 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.

Tasting Line-up:

Christopher Cannon Selections

Clos Figueras Font de la Figueras 2008
Price: $40.50       Sale $35.64          Case $413

Christopher Cannan purchased the Priorat estate of Clos Figueres in 1997 on the advice of René Barbier of Clos Mogador. The vineyards cover some 10 hectares. There are about 2500 old Carignan and Grenache vines planted more than 20 years ago for the Clos Figueres label. The remainder, about 50% Grenache, 20% Syrah, some Cabernet Sauvignon and Mourvèdre were planted in 1998 and are used for the production of Font de la Figuera. The location is just to the north of Gratallops on terraced slopes of pure schist, the soil responsible for the finest wines of Priorat. From these high terraces, the views are wonderful...in one direction the famous L'Ermita vineyard and the craggy Montsant mountain range behind it; in the other a long-distance vista featuring the Ebro Valley and more mountains beyond. René Barbier's team takes care of the vineyards as well as the vinification and aging of the wines. Thanks to the Barbier family's talents and dedication Clos Figueres should soon rank with the best of Priorat, while the second wine, Font de la Figuera, represents remarkable value for the region.

A note on the names : Figueras / Figueres are fig trees in Spanish and Catalan respectively. Long before Christopher Cannan purchased it, the estate was known by the locals as Clos Figueres, but national regulations (dating from the Franco era) required Spanish spellings on all official documents...hence the company name Clos Figueras S.A.

60% Grenache, 10% Carignan, 30% Syrah, Mourvedre and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Clos Figueres 2007
Price: $88.50       Sale $77.88          Case $903

(94 Points)  The purple-colored 2007 Clos Figueres displays an already complex nose of sandalwood, Asian spices, mineral, lavender, herbs, and assorted black fruits. Dense and sweet on the palate, this plush offering will continue evolving for another 5-7 years and have a drinking window extending from 2015 to 2027.  Wine Advocate # 188, Apr 2010

70% Grenache and Carignan from old vines plus 30% Syrah, Mourvedre and a little Cabernet Sauvignon

Clos Mogador 2007
Price: $96             Sale $84.48          Case $980

(96 Points) The flagship, the 2007 Clos Mogador is made up of 40% Garnacha, 20% Carinena, 20% Syrah, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. It is purple/black-colored with a sensational bouquet of mineral, truffle, espresso, black cherry, blueberry, and licorice. Dense and Reubenesque on the palate, it has great concentration, loads of savory fruit, impeccable balance, and several years of aging potential. Accessible now, this lengthy offering will be at its best from 2013 to 2027. It is one of the stars of the vintage in Priorat.  Wine Advocate # 188, Apr 2010

40% Garnacha (from 80 year old vines), 20% Carnignan, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Syrah.

Unfined Unfiltered Wines

2004 La Perla "Clos Fites"
Price: $60             Sale $52.80         

A blend of Grenache Carignan and Cabernet Sauvingon A fair amount of fresh earth here on the nose with some herbs and floral nuance a slight slate licorelle mineral nuance.  A good amount of fripe cherry liqieur like fruit with a fiull array of spice and floral nuance on the finish fine tannins,  a nicely built wine a bit dry at the end but has plenty of fruit.  Finish 45+                Excellent

2002 La Perla "Comte Pirenne"
Price: $75             Sale $66               

A blend of 50% Grenach 30% Carignan and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon this wine is made from old vines and mostly purchased fruit as this is a new property.  Starting to show a bit of that beef stew character but still has some slate like mineral and some sundried cherry fruit, along with dried flowers and tea like spice.  Smooth and velvety on the tongue drinking at or near its peak right now with a nice savory finish and sundried cherry fruit, along with a fairly dry mineral component on the finish.  Finish 40+              Excellent

Anthony Pannone - Florida Wine Company

2007 Mas d’en Compte Tinto Porrera
Price: $32.50       Sale $28.60                          Case $332

(92 Points)  Mas d’En Compte’s red offering, the 2007 Tinto, is composed of 50% Garnacha, 45% Carinena, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 14 months in new French oak. The quality of the 2007 vintage is a village by village comparison and is considered better for Carinena. The wine is a glass-coating purple/black color with aromas of tar, licorice, mineral, and a confiture of black fruits. On the palate it is sweetly fruited (likely the contribution of the 80- to 100-year-old Garnacha vines), jammy, and concentrated with enough underlying structure to evolve for 6-8 years. This powerful effort should be at its best from 2015 to 2027. Wine Advocate # 194, May 2011

2006 Celler del Pont “Lo Givot” La Vilella Baixa
Price: $50             Sale $44                                Case $510

(91 Points)  The 2006 Lo Givot is a blend of Garnacha, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 12-14 months in French oak. Made in a forward style, it displays plenty of up-front black fruit, plenty of spice, and enough structure to drink well for another 6-8 years.  Celler del Pont is located in La Vilella Baixa and was established in 1998. Several of the partners have vineyards in and around the village providing a constant source of grapes. Wine Advocate # 194, May 2011

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

2006 Bodegas Mas Alta La Creu Alta
Price: $125          Sale $69               

(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

2007 Clos Erasmus Priorat
Price: $187.50    Sale $165             6pk $957
Quantity in Stock: 20

"The Priorat wasn't always a home to many of Spain's most exciting wineries, but with names like Rene Barbier, Alvaro Palacios, and now, Daphne Glorian of Clos Erasmus, there is no denying how deserving it is of its current status as a "Spanish Darling." Clos Erasmus is produced from four vineyard sites, with a miniscule (total) vineyard surface of only 2 hectares. All the vines are planted on deeply sloped terrasses originally carved into the moutainside by the Ancient Greeks, for their cultivation of vines, olives, and almonds. Las Escalas, the first vineyard site in the area that Daphne visited, became Clos Erasmus. The terrasses were restored, vines planted alongside the existing old vines of Grenache, and in 1990 Clos Erasmus was born. Yields are only 18-20 hectoliters per hectare, and the number of cases produced has never been more than 140 per year." -Eric Solomon Selections

International Wine Imports

2007 Cellers Melis- Elix
Price: $39.00                       Sale $34.32
Quantity in Stock: 2

Very thick bouquet of red cherry liqueur like fruit on the nose with notes of red licorice spice and slate like minerality, this wine also had a zesty finish leaving a zesty impression on the tongue. Finish 40+ Excellent

2006 Cellers Melis- Melis
Price: $85.50                       Sale $74.25          Case $872
Quantity in Stock: 8

Lots of perfumed floral nuance to the nose with red licorice spice and a good hand of red berry fruit on the nose. Still quite tannic on the palate with pronounced minerality showing through the finish, this wine has all the right stuff it just needs a bit more time. Finish 45+ Excellent

Menu

Selection of cheeses:  Goat, Parmigiano-Reggiano, St. Andre

Double Stuffed baby bliss potatoes with bacon gorgonzola and balsamic drizzle

Panini sandwich with grilled zucchini, red pepper and Bermuda onion served with herb infused goat cheese and extra virgin Olive oil

Grilled Lamb Chop finished with lavender natural Sauce

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).