Priorat and Ribera del Duero

Ribera del Duero is definitely not a region I tend to enjoy, and Priorat is pushing it... there's some classically made Priorats, but I'm finding them few and far between these days. As such, I almost didn't attend this event, but decided to see if anything would sway my pre-concieved notion. The most interesting part of the evening for me were the three starter white wines, which were all killer and amazing values. Again, the Ribera del Duero wines were not really palatable, and most of the Priorat wines were hard to get through as well.

• 2005 Palacios Remondo Rioja Plácet Valtomelloso 91 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

  This wine was quite lovely. Really killer aromas of rich fruit, and all kinds of stewed melons. There's a strange funkiness to it as well, but it's very delicious. The palate is nice and soft, creamy, and elegant. There's some nice acidity present, with just a slightly off putting metallic notion. Nice and tart on the finish, which is rich, and nicely coating the tongue. Very mild oak present.

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• 2005 Domaine Huet Vouvray Pétillant Cuvée Huet Brut 91 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray Pétillant

  Very nice minerals on the nose, which is also slightly tart. The palate is quite cutting, though at the same time really nice and soft. Good acid on the finish, with nice tart nature. Not too much complexity here, but what is there is hugely enjoyable.

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• 2005 Bodegas Naia Rueda Naiades 90 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Rueda

  Smells a bit sweet, but also a little funky, with a petrol and diesel note. The palate is nice, with more funk. Some sweet, burning rubber as well. Tart finish with nice acid, which is the dominant play here, with a moderate oakiness.

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• 2004 Cims de Porrera Priorat Solanes 91 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

  I loved this the first time I came to it, but upon reevaluation later in the evening I couldn't quite see why I scored it here. Anyway, the note at first was of a massive smell, with really impressive big fruit (blackberries), but this is balanced with some charcoal, flint, gravel, and graphite. Big aromas, but nice. Thick and large on the palate. Rich, but at the same time structured and slightly boozy. Some spiky thorns on my mouth. Spicy. More big spice on the finish, but then it gets really really mellow and soft. Nice earthiness, more charcoal, and deliciously rich.

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• 2004 Alvaro Palacios Priorat Finca Dofí 85 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

  This smells like a modern Cabernet Sauvignon; could be from Washington if I didn't know better. Hugely rich, spicy, and boozy aromas. The palate is thick and big, tart, and grippy. Too young, and too much tannins. No interesting flavor, but the structure is noticed so it could come around. The finish is again a massive grip of tannins. There's this slight nice candied fruit flavor underlying the massiveness, but barely. I'm not convinced this wine will ever come around.

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• 2008 Meritxell Palleja Priorat Nita 87 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

  Bretty, a bit dirty, like a wet potato bag in a moist cellar. There's some underlying fruit there, but it's pretty hidden. The palate is soft and quite large, with nice fruit. Some red apples, but also some alcohol. The finish shows big spice. It's tart, but there's plenty of alcohol as well. I get some of that brett on the finish as well. Grippy and tight notion lingers.

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• 2007 Alvaro Palacios Priorat Les Terrasses Velles Vinyes 86 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

  Very large, rich, and modern aromas. Lots of alcohol and spice. Too much so. The palate is softer, but still plenty of alcohol masquerading as spice. More alcoholic spice on the finish, which shows some tartness, but it's the grippy tannins that are most present.

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• 2001 Celler Vall Llach Priorat Vall Llach 92 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

  Very very soft and elegant aromas compared to the other wines. This shows rose petals, soft pretty graphite, nice dust, a crushed cherry pit, and light earthiness and dustiness. The palate is also quite soft, pretty and amazingly balanced and elegant in comparison to the others. Still tons of tannins, but these are soft. Some earth funk, slightly tart fruit, and plenty of spice. The finish offers intense spice. It's juicy, and there is some alcohol noticed. Good balance throughout otherwise, though, but I'd say this bottle needed to air a bit more to show its best based upon previous bottles.

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• 2003 Dominio Pingus Ribera del Duero Flor de Pingus 83 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  This wine's getting scary... a messy stew of fruit, alcohol, and turpentine on the nose. The palate is thick, extracted, and boozy. "New World." The finish is thick and spicy. Grippy, tart, and bitter. The texture and taste is that of cream. This is not at all what I seek in wine. The underlying material here is decent, it was just turned into Frankenstein, otherwise this score would be way lower.

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• 2001 Bodegas y Viñedos Alión Ribera del Duero 88 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  The best of the Ribera del Duero wines tonight, but still not my style. The nose is pretty decent. There's some nice burnt lumber, and definitely massive fruit. The woodsy note is soft, but it's still dominant. Creamy like dessert on the palate. Really nice, with soft fruit. The finish kicks with big spice, earth, and tar. I get a strong memory of angel food cake with chocolate sauce on top. Soft wine. Decent stuff, but still too much like desert for me.

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• 2004 Dominio de Atauta Ribera del Duero LLanos del Almendro 88 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  Quite soft aromas, including light licorice. Some soft wood as well, coupled with spice. This smells nice, like a wood shop. The palate is soft, and pretty nicely balanced. Some grippiness, and quite tart. Grippy again on the finish. Nice material, but again, just not my style of wines.

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• 2002 Bodegas AAlto Ribera del Duero AAlto Flawed

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  This was lightly corked... at least I sure hope it was corked, and the winemaker didn't intend the wine to taste like it did. Faintly so, but the whole thing was more muted than it should have been, with a certain cardboard note on the palate. No notes taken as a result.

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