Priorat wine fair 2019 (and related events)

Tarragona and various places in Priorat
Tasted Thursday, May 2, 2019 - Thursday, May 9, 2019 by bitdrerik with 1,000 views

Introduction

Eðalklúbburinn attended the Priorat wine fair 2019 which took place on May 3d to 6th. In addition we visited some wineries in situ. This time around there were eight of us attending: Andri, Björgvin, Bolli, Indriði, Jón Loftur, Jón Lárus, Lúðvík and Magnús.

Flight 1 - Tasting at VinoVí (2019-05-02) (9 Notes)

  • 2016 Dominio de Tares Bierzo Cepas Viejas 87 Points

    Spain, Castilla y León, Bierzo

    (5/2/2019)

    Youngish colour. Purple. On the nose marzipan, vanilla, violets and mints. Some rough edges on the tongue which will presumably even out. Lots of potential.

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  • 2015 Bodegas Baigorri Rioja Crianza 89 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja

    (5/2/2019)

    Rather light in colour. On the nose: Minerals, sweet tobacco, black berries, liquorice, cow shed and mint. We found red fruits, nicely integrated oak and mint on the tongue. Very good effort for only 12€.

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  • 2016 Bodegas Atalaya Alaya Tierra 90 Points

    Spain, Castilla-La Mancha, Almansa

    (5/2/2019)

    Dark purple colour. Dense black jam on the nose. Also some minerals, iron. Then blood and also some flowery notes, violets. Very dark notes when tasted. Some burnt notes to start with, soot. But also some citrusy notes, oranges mostly. Strange concoction. Tannins were in abundance. There is also some sweetness and spices (black pepper) to be felt. Massive wine. I liked it a lot.

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  • 2017 Dominio del Aguila Pícaro del Aguila Viñas Viejas 87 Points

    Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

    (5/2/2019)

    Crimson red colour. Bananas, strawberries, herbs (mint) and baking spices (cardamoms) on the nose. When tasted there were spices, also some green tones to be found. Nice acid. Apart from some unripe tones it is a very agreeable wine.

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  • 2014 Vinyes i Cellers Clua Terra Alta Millenium Crianza 86 Points

    Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Terra Alta

    (5/2/2019)

    Crimson coloured. Solvents, aceton on the nose. Those were followed by some burnt notes, rubber and then over to burnt wood, pine maybe? Lots of minerals on the nose too. On the tongue there were lots of dark elements. Chocolate, tobacco. Some freshness was evident too in the form of eucalyptus and mint. Nice wine if you like your wines heavy and dark but the price tag of around 22€ is a bit hefty. When I was writing the TN I realized that almost three years ago I had tasted the 2013 vintage of the same wines. The tasting note then was similar to this one.

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  • 2016 Solà d'Ares Priorat Tuturi 89 Points

    Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

    (5/2/2019)

    A bit darker than average. Lots of solvents, petrol, glue and brown banana on the nose. Dark fruits like plum were there too. Someone mentioned vintage port. In the mouth there were similar burnt notes and smoke. Some sweetness was evident and we also registered some vanilla. For me an agreeable wine but not one for everyones taste. Costs 19€ which I think is a reasonable price.

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  • 2016 Cellers de Scala Dei Priorat Heretge 93 Points

    Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

    (5/2/2019)

    Very dark colour. Lots of solvents on the nose. Also dark fruits. Smell of old things like attic or similar (in a good way). Someone mentioned rotten tomatoes (but that's hardly a good thing is it?). I, however, could not relate to that description. Spices like cinnamon were felt in the background. Lots of fruits on the tongue. In fact a kaleidoscope of fruits. Beautiful balance. Considering how dark it felt on the nose the wine was surprisingly fresh. Extremely good wine, easily the wine of the evening. The only downside is a price tag of 50€. The wine is worth every euro cent, however.

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  • 2007 Sangenís i Vaqué Priorat Coranya 92 Points

    Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

    (5/2/2019)

    Dark in colour with an orange rim. Solvents and fried eggs on the nose. With time in the glass cacao and lard were added. In the mouth: Plum chutney, dark fruits mostly but cacao and chocolate emerged later on. Good acid. Good balance. Very good wine and for 27€ a really good buy.

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  • 2018 Willi Haag Riesling Trocken

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    (5/2/2019)

    At the end of the tasting our host suggested that we should try this as a last bottle. No detailed notes, hence no score. This was a nice riesling. Not too sweet. Classical riesling notes both on the nose and the tongue.

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Flight 2 - Tasting in the wine shop in Porrera (off venue 2019-05-03) (5 Notes)

We stumbled into a small wine shop in Porrera. There was a wine tasting going on so we had to participate.

Flight 3 - Organic Soirée, Porrera (2019-05-03) (30 Notes)

This tasting was held in the basement of the house were we were staying. An assortment of biodynamic, organic and vegan wines.

Flight 4 - Tast de Carinyenes, Porrera (2019-05-03) (15 Notes)

Flight 5 - Tast amb Dones, Gratallops (2019-05-04) (35 Notes)

Only wineries with women as winemakers (or playing other big part in the winery) were represented here.

Flight 6 - Tast amb Llops, Gratallops (2019-05-04) (34 Notes)

This tasting was held in Gratallops. Focusing on winerys in this tiny village.

Flight 7 - Torroja del Priorat (2019-05-05) (52 Notes)

Flight 8 - Fira del Vi, Falsett (2019-05-05) (9 Notes)

Flight 9 - Tast de professionals, Falset (2019-05-06) (63 Notes)

Flight 10 - A visit to the Mas d'en Gil winery (2019-05-06) (7 Notes)

  • 2015 Mas d'en Gil Priorat Coma Alta

    Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

    (5/6/2019)

    Visit to the Mas d'en Gil winery. This wine was enjoyed in the vineyard with some tapas refreshments as well. Very good wine. Dry, crisp. Very good acidity. Good fruit too. Fine with the food.

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  • 2017 Mas d'en Gil Priorat Bellmunt Blanco

    Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

    (5/6/2019)

    Moving to the winery it self. We were treated with Bellmunt. Not as complex as the Coma Alta. It is nevertheless quite nice. Green apples, freshness. Costs around 12€ which is not much in my opinion.

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  • 2015 Mas d'en Gil Priorat Coma Blanca

    Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

    (5/6/2019)

    After the Bellmunt the top white from Mas d'en Gil, Coma Blanca was opened along with some light refreshments. Very good white. Much rounder and fuller than the two preceding wines. Perfect balance. Good acidity.

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  • 2016 Bellmunt Priorat

    Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

    (5/6/2019)

    When we had done with the whites we were invited to a three course dinner with Mas d'en Gil wines. With the first course we got to taste the Bellmunt. Nice enough wine. Fresh and with lots of fruits. Nowhere in the league of Coma Vella (its bigger brother), however. Costs around 14€ which is reasonable.

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  • 2014 Mas d'en Gil Priorat Clos Fontà

    Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

    (5/6/2019)

    Next up with the main course was the top red from Mas d'en Gil. Extremely good. From old vines. Fresh. Balanced. Tasting good. Anyone in possession of this wine is in for a treat. Should last at least 10 to 15 years from now.

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  • 2005 Mas d'en Gil Priorat Clos Fontà

    Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

    (5/6/2019)

    After the main course there were served cheeses. Our host treated us with a jeroboam bottle of this beauty. Nine years older than the preceding wine but otherwise the same wine. A beautiful wine. Very harmonious and structured. Great balance and still utterly fresh. I would rate this at 94-95.

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  • 2014 Mas d'en Gil Priorat Nus

    Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

    (5/6/2019)

    Lastly we got to taste this sweet wine with the dessert. Like other wines at this visit it was very good. Went well with some Catalunyan chocolate buns.

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Flight 11 - A visit to Silvia Puig (7 Notes)

  • 2018 En Numeros Vermells Garnatxa Blanca Del Carlos 87 Points

    Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

    (5/7/2019)

    Light in colour. On the nose pears, apples, grass and some nutty tones. Tasted rather warm, at 16°C. On the tongue some bitterness to start with followed by nutty taste. Acid level is good and the wine is balanced. Bottle #687 of 1400.

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  • 2018 En Numeros Vermells Pedro Ximénez Del Carlos 90 Points

    Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

    (5/7/2019)

    The colour is similar to the first wine we tasted. So is the nose. Maybe a bit sweeter on the nose, though. Tasting the wine it revealed more sweetness than the garnatxa blanca version. Much heavier and denser too. Honey, butter, lard leap to mind. Silvia said it would be advisable to keep it for three years for the wine to develop. Bottle #3 of 700.

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  • 2017 En Numeros Vermells Priorat Etiqueta Negra 93 Points

    Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

    (5/7/2019)

    Medium dark in colour. Very bright and beautiful bouquet. Solvents, marzipan and cherries mainly to start with. Later on there appeared spicy notes, pepper mainly and also toasted bread and chocolate. Tannins still a bit tight. Very fresh on the tongue. Very good wine which will only get better. Bottle #1604 of 2080.

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  • 2016 En Numeros Vermells Priorat Etiqueta Negra 93 Points

    Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

    (5/7/2019)

    The colour is very similar to the 2017 vintage of this wine. On the nose more solvents and minerals. Less fruit. Orange zest. Leather and car shed maybe? On the tongue dark fruits, plums, chocolate and coffee. Tannins more prominent and probably more acid too. Good, but for my palate the 2017 edged it slightly. Bottle #630 of 1611.

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  • 2017 En Numeros Vermells Priorat 91 Points

    Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

    (5/7/2019)

    The white label. Rather dark in the glass. Great smell. Heavy and thick. Dark fruits, spices and flowery tones. Soft and polished on the tongue. Good but for some reason the white label (garnatxa-syrah) has never appealed as much to me as the black label (garnatxa-carinyena). Bottle #1350 of 1700.

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  • 2017 En Numeros Vermells Priorat Carinyena Quasi Centtenari 94 Points

    Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

    (5/7/2019)

    Very dark in colour. From 100 year old vines. Tiny production of around 900 bottles. Lots of solvents and glue on the nose initially. Followed by fragrant red fruits. On the palate black cherries. Beautifully balanced with good acid. Tannins can be felt. In the end coffee and cocoa. Changes in the glass after a while some spices developed. Wine which needs time. Already terrific but will without doubt get better. Bottle #696 of 911.

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  • 2018 En Numeros Vermells Priorat AiAiAi 91 Points

    Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

    (5/7/2019)

    This was blended straight from barrels by Silvia. Very dark in colour. Very lovely smell. A bit sweet. Boiled sweets, Dark and red berries, cherries, raspberries. Good balance. Succulent.

    After the Aiaiai we tasted some barrel samples:

    Garnatxa 2018. Very good. Very spicy and fresh on the tongue. Car shed and glue/solvents on the nose.

    Garnatxa peluda 2018. Much more closed than the garnatxa. Sweet on the tongue. Spicy and balanced.

    Garnatxa peluda and syrah blend 2018. Very sweet. Strawberries, cherries and creamy notes. Soft and balanced.

    Shyrah 2018. Dark in colour. Closed initially. Then minerals, earthy notes, forest floor and maybe sheep pen on the nose. Tannins are pronounced. Not yet resolved. This needs time to develop.

    Garnatxa and carinyena 2018. Nice and agreeable bouquet. Black currant and jam on the nose. On the tongue balanced. Dark fruit, sandalwood and cigars on the tongue.

    Lastly we tasted two samples from 100 year old vines. Used in the 100% carinyena. The grapes from the top of the vineyard and the bottom are vinified separately.
    From the top of the plot: Beautiful bouquet. Earth, horse shed, sweetness, jam, violets. On the tongue incredibly balanced and fresh. Mostly cherries but in the aftertaste coffee and chocolate.
    From the lower half of the plot: Not as dense as the previous sample. The acid is more pronounced. Lighter wood.

    If those barrel samples are anything to go by we are in for a treat when the 2018 vintage is released.

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Flight 12 - A visit to the Perinet winery. (4 Notes)

  • 2017 Perinet Priorat Perinet

    Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

    (5/7/2019)

    Sample from a stainless steel tank. Solvents and then dark fruits on the nose. There were dark fruits, coconut and toffee on the tongue. We thought it was more carinyena driven than garnatxa. Very soft and balanced. It was also wonderfully fresh. Very good wine.

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  • 2017 Perinet Merit

    Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

    (5/7/2019)

    Sample from a steel tank. Very young colour, purple. On the nose strawberries and minerals. More of the same on the tongue and in addition coffee, tobacco and iron. Balanced, fresh and agreeable. Almost certainly good food wine.

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  • 2016 Perinet Merit

    Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

    (5/7/2019)

    Purple colour. Black currants, jam and ginger on the nose. On the tongue lots of fruits and berries. Mostly cherries. Very nice acidity. Soft and round tannins. To be drunk young. Probably very good with food.

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  • 2016 Perinet Priorat Perinet

    Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

    (5/7/2019)

    Very dark in colour. The bouquet was direct and persistent. Sweet tones, caramel then cherries. On the tongue red fruit, coffee and chocolate. Very balanced. Sediment was evident.

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Closing

Flight 1. For me the best wine by far was the Scala Dei. To be expected as it was the most expensive wine in the tasting. The wine which was most appealing to me considering the price was Baigorri. A really good wine for a very reasonable price. In fact the most exiting Rioja (apart from El Belisario) I have tasted for a long time.

Flight 2. Highlights were Carenyeta from Cal Pla and Triaca. Only five wines tasted at this venue.

Flight 3. There were several very good wines in this flight. Reds that caught attention were: Gratavinum GV5, Els Escurҫons, the Viern from Vega Aixala and Saurí. There were also good whites like Venus de Cartoixa and rosés like Comalat Gavernera.

Flight 4. Trying to pick out the best wines in this tasting is very hard as there were so many good wines. Ardevol and Destí were wines that I didn't know before and were really good. Other extremely good wines were: Vall Llach Porrera, Ferrer Bobet Selecció Especial, Clos Dominic Selecció Andreu to name just few.

Flight 5. Here I found five reds standing out: Clos Figueres from Clos Figueras, Roca Grisa from Marco Abella, Carinyena from En Numeros Vermells, Pam de Nas from Trossos del Priorat and Clos Fonta from Mas d'en Gil. Apart from that one white, the Abracadabra from Trossos and one cava Macaro Brut Gran Reserva caught my attention. Extra mention to Cruor, Coma Vella and Vall Por for exceptional price performance.

Flight 6: There were many exceptionally good wines at this tasting. For an inexpensive but very good wine i would suggest d'Iatra. There was one very good cava producer, Colet, present. I liked their selection a lot. Then there were heavy weights like Doix, Rocapoll, Dofí, Clos Mogador and Vuit. All terrific wines but all in price class between 60 to 80€. For the 1902 and 1903 Doix you have to chuck up 240€. Are they worth it? I'm not sure but they are good for sure.

Flight 7. I tasted lots of wines at this event. Standing out were: Granit from Josep Grau. Very good white wine. Venus La Universal was the best rosé in the entire trip for me. Sauri both the regular one and the old vines version are solid buys. Les Clivelles de Torroja from Celler Aixalà Alcait is also a very good not so expensive wine. Lastly there were heavyweights like Dits del Terra from Terroir al Limit, Aquilera from L'Infernal and Coster de l'Alzina from Celler Aixalà Alcait which were all very good.

Flight 8. Three wines stood out here in my opinion. Les Eres Vinyes Velles, very good wine. Les Eres les Especiel del Carners which is a fabulous wine and Mon Classic. A really interesting wine.

Flight 9. For an easy drinking young wine Cap de Ruc Vi Novell Vinyes Seleccionades does the job. For the heavier wines Tane Coster de l'Avi is awesome. Might be hard to find as I got the impression that this was a tiny winery.

Flight 10. An absolute standout was the 2005 Clos Fontà. A marvellous wine.

Flight 11. For me the Aiaiai and the carinyena were the most interesting wines here. Some of the barrel samples were terrific too.

Flight 12. Although I only wrote four tasting notes from this visit there was much more going on. We tasted a lot of barrel samples from plots facing east, west and south. Samples from top of vineyards and bottom of vineyards. It is hard to reflect all that in a tasting note as we don't know where it will all end up. Finally we tasted samples from four single vineyards, all exceptionally good. If this visit is anything to go by the Perinet winery is worth watching in the future.

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