3 hour decant. Drank a couple months apart (Coravin) and the second time - with more air time - a more complete and satisfying experience. This is a terrific wine and big at 15% but you wouldn’t know it since it is very well integrated with the black fruit. I enjoyed it more when it was cool (in the mid 50s) but didn’t complain when it crept up (to the mid 60s) either but it does show its alcohol a bit more then. On the palette, great integration of the primary fruit (and plenty of it still) with the oak (I would guess all used/neutral oak) and herbs like bay leaf and Mediterranean dry blend. Beautiful powerful nose driven by black/blue fruit with spicy woody/tobacco notes from the wood and even mild floral aromas like marigold. Just a phenomenal QPR, especially for a Priorat wine at only $25. Wow. Moderate acid and good tannic structure still. Will hold another 3-5 years easily but won’t get better. Fully integrated now so drink up. Enjoyed at dinner with Berkshire pork chops
This is a big wine, but the 15% alcohol is carried by the intensity of dark berry fruits. There is a firmness, with liquorice and savory notes and the finish is of ripe cherry fruit, though not long.
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This wine is a delicious, amazing QPR expression of Priorat. If you have not had Priorat and want to try it out, buy this and age it a bit more. We had it with soy sauce and sesame oil marinated tofu and chicken, which really brought out the nuttiness, minerality and slightly soy essence of the wine. We love Spanish wines - if you only like smooth, elegant wines you probably won’t love this wine or many other Iberian wines, but we love the energy, dynamism and overall oomph of Iberian wines at this price point. They are fun to explore and will not break the bank. Amazing mouthfeel on this one - let it open up for a while.
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Blackish fruit (dark berry, plum, creme de cassis), some pepper and grill char, sonething a little savory and sundried. Has the intensity and concentration you expect from Priorat without showing the high alcohol too much; a little sweet without being cloying. Fairly low tannin, M- acid. Fairly big wine but still more restrained than a lot of Priorat and while this isn’t a region I want to drink all the time, it went well with mushroom croquetas and ajo blanco. Better with the food than without. Average qpr; you can tell it’s more than a $10-15 budget wine but it doesn’t quite check all the boxes either. In particular I’d like more structure, but also more emphasis on the mineral/earthy notes (which are there but subtle). Drink now, this ain’t built for cellaring. ~5.5-6/10
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Medium body and remarkably bordelais. I would have guessed Haut medoc but it does have some anise and olive. Never would have thought Priorat and I’ve had numerous bottles from previous vintages of this wine.. a change in house style?
Very, very good with air. Nice QPR
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Wow! This wine is just great. Tasting blind, I guessed this was a ~$80-100 bottle of 2014 Chateauneuf du Pape. The concentration was very high, staining my mouth purple and drying it with tannins. The malty and beefy aromas seemed like classic CdP. I like the freshness provided by a note of apple skin. I wasn't shocked to learn it was priorat, but $16 was shocking. It's also impressive how much complexity this wine has developed over less than 4 years. I would expect this wine to improve over the next 5 years.
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2h air for this highly-affordable Priorat (60% Garnacha, 35% Cariñena and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon). Medium-Deep Purple color. Bold aromas of compost, dark plums, cherries, cardamom and slate. Juicy dark fruit on entry, creamy texture, medium body. Earthy, with spice and minerals in the finish.
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Big fruit and tannins, power with finesse. An excellent introduction to Spanish grenache for new world drinkers, and pretty nice for us old world types too.
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Dark purple color. violets, smoke and blue berries on the nose. nice tannin grip for such a young wine. plenty of young fruits, cassis, black current and boysenberry notes. balanced acidity. very nice. paired surprisingly well with turkey pot pie (from leftover thanksgiving smoked turkey)
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Spanish terroir is evident on the nose and in initial taste. On the nose there's wet rocks and a little smoke. Definitely a full bodied wine on the palette with a little balsamic acidity on the back end.
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A: Deep purple. High viscosity. N: Dusty violet, dried herbs, mineraltity (wet stone), lots of compost P: Dry, medium (+) acid, medium (+) tannin, high alcohol (15%), full body, medium (+) intensity and long finish. C: $20 in Kroger on 11th street. BLIC? Very good quality wine but not complex. Drink within next 5 years.
GUESSES: Fell into a guess of Priorat. The DUSTY VIOLET thing seems to be the giveaway.
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Solid Grenache with some other components that add fruit to the spice. As the night went on, the fruit overtook the cooking spice and licorice. Very enjoyable for the price point.
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Modern, high-extraction, big oak red. I think this would be enjoyed by those who enjoy big Cali wines. IMO, this is the problem with so many Spanish reds. Not a fan of this style.
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3/10/2021 - AjitK Likes this wine: 91 Points
3 hour decant. Drank a couple months apart (Coravin) and the second time - with more air time - a more complete and satisfying experience. This is a terrific wine and big at 15% but you wouldn’t know it since it is very well integrated with the black fruit. I enjoyed it more when it was cool (in the mid 50s) but didn’t complain when it crept up (to the mid 60s) either but it does show its alcohol a bit more then. On the palette, great integration of the primary fruit (and plenty of it still) with the oak (I would guess all used/neutral oak) and herbs like bay leaf and Mediterranean dry blend. Beautiful powerful nose driven by black/blue fruit with spicy woody/tobacco notes from the wood and even mild floral aromas like marigold. Just a phenomenal QPR, especially for a Priorat wine at only $25. Wow. Moderate acid and good tannic structure still. Will hold another 3-5 years easily but won’t get better. Fully integrated now so drink up. Enjoyed at dinner with Berkshire pork chops
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10/30/2020 - trastevere Likes this wine: 88 Points
This is a big wine, but the 15% alcohol is carried by the intensity of dark berry fruits. There is a firmness, with liquorice and savory notes and the finish is of ripe cherry fruit, though not long.
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7/22/2020 - VoVo Likes this wine: 90 Points
This wine is a delicious, amazing QPR expression of Priorat. If you have not had Priorat and want to try it out, buy this and age it a bit more. We had it with soy sauce and sesame oil marinated tofu and chicken, which really brought out the nuttiness, minerality and slightly soy essence of the wine. We love Spanish wines - if you only like smooth, elegant wines you probably won’t love this wine or many other Iberian wines, but we love the energy, dynamism and overall oomph of Iberian wines at this price point. They are fun to explore and will not break the bank. Amazing mouthfeel on this one - let it open up for a while.
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5/29/2020 - 1winemaven wrote: 87 Points
Past it's prime. I am a big fan of the Black Slate label, but this particular one falls short of expectations. Disappointing.
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5/15/2020 - afields wrote:
Blackish fruit (dark berry, plum, creme de cassis), some pepper and grill char, sonething a little savory and sundried. Has the intensity and concentration you expect from Priorat without showing the high alcohol too much; a little sweet without being cloying. Fairly low tannin, M- acid. Fairly big wine but still more restrained than a lot of Priorat and while this isn’t a region I want to drink all the time, it went well with mushroom croquetas and ajo blanco. Better with the food than without. Average qpr; you can tell it’s more than a $10-15 budget wine but it doesn’t quite check all the boxes either. In particular I’d like more structure, but also more emphasis on the mineral/earthy notes (which are there but subtle). Drink now, this ain’t built for cellaring. ~5.5-6/10
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4/4/2020 - mayoutze wrote: 92 Points
Deep dark ruby red.
Ripe red berries on the nose, hints of smoke, leather and notes of wet gravel.
Smooth tanins, balanced acidity with a medium finish and a nice hint of bitterness.
Great, great value!
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11/17/2019 - ABPotts Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful. First Priorat experience. Can’t wait to get some more.
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11/5/2019 - Nati Winos Likes this wine:
Nice surprise. Can go with everything.
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10/18/2019 - jviz wrote: 91 Points
Medium body and remarkably bordelais. I would have guessed Haut medoc but it does have some anise and olive. Never would have thought Priorat and I’ve had numerous bottles from previous vintages of this wine.. a change in house style?
Very, very good with air. Nice QPR
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7/13/2019 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wow! This wine is just great. Tasting blind, I guessed this was a ~$80-100 bottle of 2014 Chateauneuf du Pape. The concentration was very high, staining my mouth purple and drying it with tannins. The malty and beefy aromas seemed like classic CdP. I like the freshness provided by a note of apple skin. I wasn't shocked to learn it was priorat, but $16 was shocking. It's also impressive how much complexity this wine has developed over less than 4 years. I would expect this wine to improve over the next 5 years.
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6/1/2019 - jjhsom Likes this wine: 91 Points
Fairly ripe, fruity. 60% Garnacha. WA91, Jeb Dunnuck 93
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5/12/2019 - daveyk39 Likes this wine: 90 Points
2h air for this highly-affordable Priorat (60% Garnacha, 35% Cariñena and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon). Medium-Deep Purple color. Bold aromas of compost, dark plums, cherries, cardamom and slate. Juicy dark fruit on entry, creamy texture, medium body. Earthy, with spice and minerals in the finish.
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3/16/2019 - Neecies Likes this wine:
Big fruit and tannins, power with finesse. An excellent introduction to Spanish grenache for new world drinkers, and pretty nice for us old world types too.
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1/27/2019 - VoVo Likes this wine: 88 Points
This is a great wine for the price. It is not a particularly elegant wine, but it has nice balance between the fruit and the tannins.
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11/26/2018 - EdwardsCellar wrote: 90 Points
Dark purple color. violets, smoke and blue berries on the nose. nice tannin grip for such a young wine. plenty of young fruits, cassis, black current and boysenberry notes. balanced acidity. very nice. paired surprisingly well with turkey pot pie (from leftover thanksgiving smoked turkey)
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11/25/2018 - OaktownRush Likes this wine: 87 Points
Spanish terroir is evident on the nose and in initial taste. On the nose there's wet rocks and a little smoke. Definitely a full bodied wine on the palette with a little balsamic acidity on the back end.
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7/9/2018 - Heynetty wrote:
Wine Dojo - Week 17 - Viva Espaņa (Rick's Place): Tasted Blind
A: Deep purple. High viscosity.
N: Dusty violet, dried herbs, mineraltity (wet stone), lots of compost
P: Dry, medium (+) acid, medium (+) tannin, high alcohol (15%), full body, medium (+) intensity and long finish.
C: $20 in Kroger on 11th street. BLIC? Very good quality wine but not complex. Drink within next 5 years.
GUESSES:
Fell into a guess of Priorat. The DUSTY VIOLET thing seems to be the giveaway.
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5/17/2018 - LCHammer Likes this wine: 89 Points
Solid Grenache with some other components that add fruit to the spice. As the night went on, the fruit overtook the cooking spice and licorice. Very enjoyable for the price point.
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3/22/2018 - PIntag wrote:
Modern, high-extraction, big oak red. I think this would be enjoyed by those who enjoy big Cali wines. IMO, this is the problem with so many Spanish reds. Not a fan of this style.
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