External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
Show more
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 88.6 pts. and median of 89 pts. in 9 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by forceberry on 3/22/2022 & rated 88 points: This is the second vintage ever of this wine, made mainly with contracted grapes, some from very old - even centenarian - vineyards, harvested between early October and late November. The blend consists of old-vine Cariñena (40%), Cabernet Sauvignon (25%), Merlot (20%), Garnacha (10%) and Syrah (5%). The grapes were crushed and cold-soaked prior to fermentation for 3 days, then fermented for two weeks in stainless steel. After the fermentation the wine was macerated with the skins for another week or so, until it was pressed into stainless steel tanks (50%) and oak casks (50%) for MLF. Finally the wine is aged for 14 months in second use (60%) and new (40%) French oak barrels ranging from 225 to 300 liters in size. Total production 11,760 bottles. Bottled in June 2004. 14,5% alcohol.
Very dark, quite concentrated and rather opaque black cherry color. Evolved, somewhat tertiary nose with rather sweet dried-fruit aromas of raisins, cherry marmalade, some very ripe dark plums, a little bit of blueberry juice, light toasty notes of sweet oak spice, a hint of cranberry sauce and a touch of prunes. The wine is ripe, juicy and somewhat extracted on the palate with a full body and intense flavors of sweet dark plums, some savory wood spice, a little bit of ripe blackcurrant, light blueberry juice notes, a hint of stony minerality and a touch of dried figs. The overall feel is quite firm and muscular, thanks to the rather high acidity and quite ample ripe tannins that slowly pile up on the gums. The finish is juicy, rich and somewhat grippy with a quite lengthy aftertaste of raisins, some prunes, a little bit of dried dates, light gravelly mineral tones, a hint of overripe strawberry and a touch of toasty oak spice.
A rich, firm yet somewhat mellow and quite evolved Priorat that is pretty much peaking now. The wine shows quite good sense of finesse and harmony for such a big and ripe wine, but the overall feel is getting a bit too sweet and pruney for my taste. There's good sense of structure and the wine is brimming with lush fruit, but what remains here, feels quite evolved and raisiny - even if there is some complexity, it still feels a bit one-note. This is tasty and enjoyable stuff, but nothing that would blow my socks off. A nice example of aged Priorat, but the more I taste these, the more I start to think that these wines never were, are or will be particularly interesting - in my experience they are all too often just big, ripe and extracted wines which, at some point, just start to turn pruney, then slowly fall apart. Most likely this wine won't keep for that long before it is goners, so best to drink sooner rather than later. (873 views) | | | Tasted by ikkaariainen on 8/27/2021 & rated 94 points: Enjoyed at a Chaine dinner in Charlotte NC and paired beautifully with a dish of shaved lamb. Opened in the bottle about 2 hours before serving, not decanted. This wine takes a long time to mature and this vintage is now in a mature drinking window and truly firing on all cylinders. A very interesting Priorat blend, 40% Carinena and 10% Garnatxa which are the backbone of traditional Priorat winemaking with additional less traditional Rhone and Bdx grapes added (25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 5% Syrah) making this a Super Priorat in the same sense that Super Tuscans are Super Tuscans by the addition of non-traditional grapes. This is very Old World and made in a reductive style as a collaboration between the Vall Llach estate and surrounding smaller farms that grow old vine grapes. Very dark purple in color, almost squid ink like, with a warm fruity nose and a lighter interesting minty or almost clove note. Very well balanced, fully integrated, oak mostly gone but balanced tannins still present and a long beautiful lingering aftertaste. On the flavor profile the carignan and merlot dominate with a surprising amount of fruit initially present followed in the mid- and late palates by more terroir driven earthier notes with clove also distinctly present. Highly recommend this and this wine is a very good QPR ratio. Has a good 5-10 years left so no hurry but also at peak and probably no further upside in additional cellaring. (206 views) | | | Tasted by RDAwine on 10/26/2013 & rated 92 points: well you wait long enough and good things come your way. 02 indus is just starting to hit it's stride. floral notes and subtle chocolate and graphite on the nose. tannins still fading, more time still. dark chewy ink black purple, stiil this flower is just getting going. can't wait till next bottle in 2 yrs and then next 2yrs after that. blew away mas doix sal 03 we drank the next night. (1985 views) | | | Tasted by mjf@ulkner on 1/4/2010 & rated 84 points: Crumbling cork. Inky black with the prominent spice/licorice notes others have described. Was expecting a bigger wine- this was pretty demure. Solid tannic structure with plenty of dark fruits. Something lacking though, not sure why. I just didn't "connect" with wine even though it had characteristics of which I'm usually a fan... (2689 views) | | | Tasted by DQuinn on 7/15/2008 & rated 89 points: A really interesting wine. Good nose with black fruits and clove. Mouth of Cloves, plumb, some green veggies. Good balance between the tannin and body, holds its alcohol well. Not for new world fans, this is more of a terrior driven wine and defiantly has a sense of "place." (2717 views) | | | Tasted by RDAwine on 4/28/2008 & rated 90 points: way to young (1780 views) | | | Tasted by tskrueger on 2/16/2008 & rated 84 points: Beautiful magenta, almost "squid-ink" (buddy's description) color. Nose of dark fruit, anise/black licorice, and that old clove gum (was it Beecham's). Flavors carry through to the palate with a bit of cedar and a hint of smoke. Unfortunately, the finish is quite clipped and renders this somewhat unsatisfying. Hopefully, this is just a characteristic of a weak vintage. Decent wine, but hoped for better. (2774 views) | | | Tasted by boxwine_in_hell on 8/2/2007 & rated 84 points: This was a very strange wine. I was not real impressed considering this is about $50 a bottle retail. I have had much better Priorats. The fruit was there, upfront and in your face. Loads of dark fruit and strong anise flavors. The tannin structure and the integration of this wine is a bit off, I can't quite put my finger on it, but for a wine this expensive it's fairly average. It's not a bad wine, but it's not real memorable either. There are probably at least a hundred other wines that you would be better off spending your $50 bucks on. Don't bother with this one. (1618 views) |
| Celler Vall Llach Producer website
Source: VinConnect (VinConnect.com)
From its inception, Celler Vall Llach has been governed by a rigid adherence to two guiding principles: rigor and quality. Vall Llach was founded in 1992 by the famous Catalan singer Lluís Llach and his childhood friend, notary Enric Costa. Located in Porrera, one of the nine villages about an hour and half south of Barcelona that together form the Qualified Designation of Origin (D.O.Q.), Priorat, this winery seamlessly fuses history and innovation, resulting in high quality wines that are appreciated the world over. Today Enric’s son, Albert, serves as the winery’s head winemaker, co-owner and general manager, ensuring the stellar quality that Celler Vall Llach has become known for will continue to flourish from generation to generation.
Vall Llach prides itself on its focus towards quality rather than quantity and cultivates just over 13 hectares of 60- to 90-year-old Carinena and Garnacha vines located in the best areas of Porrera and Torroja. Old vines produce low yields with naturally concentrated fruit, and Celler Vall Llach further reduces yields through careful vineyard management, producing densely concentrated and luscious wines. Vineyards climb steep slate (llicorella) hillsides, receiving optimum sun exposure and beneficial water deprivation, further strengthening the dark fruit flavors. Most of the old vines are cultivated according to traditional methods without the use of machinery which forces an intimate and exclusive relationship with the wine grower. Newer plantings of Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah add complexity to the old-vine character.
Today Vall Llach’s wines are made in the town square of Porrera in “La Final,” the name for the oldest and largest private building of the village, which has always been used for winemaking. Wines are vinified by variety and parcel using low volume tanks, where over 90 different micro-fermentations are performed each year. Manual punch downs are performed and post-fermentative maceration lasts 15 days, followed by a soft press. All wines are aged in 100% French oak barrels with a light-medium toast and racked once before bottling.
Based on their overall philosophy, Vall Llach has imposed a ceiling on production and growth in order never to lose the personal connection and supervision exerted over each stage of the winemaking process. Their commitment to micro-production in the vineyards and attention to detail in cellar have led to admiration from wine enthusiasts around the world for their outstanding and timeless wines.
Grenache Blend. Spain Vinos de España - Wines of Spain (Instituto Español de Comercio Exterior) | Wikipedia
Wine Map on weinlagen-info
Spain is the third largest wine producing nation in the world, occupying the majority of the Iberian Peninsula with vast diversity in climate, culture, and of course, wine. From inky, dark reds of the [Priorat] to dry, white Finos from Andalusia, Spain can easily boast of elaborating a wide variety of notable styles. Within Spain there are currently 62 demarcated wine regions, of which a handful have gained international recognition: [Rioja], Priorat and [Ribera del Duero]. Yet these regions are only a small sample of the high quality wines Spain produces. Regions such as Cava, Penedes, Somontano, Galicia, Rueda and Jerez are only a few of the numerous regions worthy of exploration throughout Spain. Spain can also lay claim to having the most land under vine in the world, growing up to, by some accounts, 600 indigenous varietals of which Tempranillo is their most well known. Other popular varietals include [Garnacha], Bobal and Monastrell for reds and for whites; the infamous [sic] Palomino Fino grape which is used in the production of sherry wine, Pedro Ximenez in Montilla Morilles, Albarino used in the creation of the bright, effervescent wines of Galicia, and Verdejo in Rueda. - Source: - Catavino.net
Spain is not in the forefront of winemaking for its dessert wines, other than for its sweet wines from Sherry country including the highly revered Olorosos (when sweetened). But apart from Sherry Spain has a range of styles of dessert wines, ranging from the those made from the Pedro Ximenez grape primarily in Jerez and Montilla-Moriles) to luscious, red dessert wines made in the Mediterranean from the Garnacha (Grenache) grape. Some good Moscatels are made in Mallorca, Alicante and Navarre. The northwest corner of Spain, Galicia, with its bitter Atlantic climate, is even making dessert wines, called “Tostadillos” in the village of Ribadivia (similar to France’s “Vin de Paille”). The Canary Islands have made interesting dessert wines for centuries (they are mentioned by Shakespeare, for example) and in recent years the quality of winemaking has been improved and the Canary Islands wines are being better marketed now. The winemaking styles for “Vinos Dulces” are also diverse, from “Late Harvest” (Vendimia Tardía) to “Fortified Wines” (Fermentación Parcial). Based on in-spain.info.Catalunya Map on weinlagen-infoPrioratAbout 100 kilometers from Barcelona, Priorat originated as a distinct recognized wine region in 1932, and was approved in 1954.
|
|
