Celler de Capçanes 1999-2004 Blindtasting

Introductory comments by tasting organizer Ross Bott:
Capcanes is a picturesque Catalan village in the mountains overlooking Tarragona at the southeast corner of Spain where it borders France near the Mediterranean Sea. It is located in a wine region called Montsant, named after the mountains the village is in. Just to the west of Montsant is Priorat, one of the most highly regarded wine growing regions in Spain, and the two regions share a slate-dominated soil which shows up as a wonderfully minerally terroir in all of their wines.

Capacanes Winery began as a cooperative for the local vineyard growers to pool their resources to make wines. The surrounding vineyards are mostly red varietals, primarily Garnacha (Grenache), Tempranillo, Caranina (a local varietal), Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Many of the vineyards are approching a hundred years old, and the quality of the grapes produced begged for someone to take advantage of them to produce great wines. In in the mid-1990s, Eric Solomon, a US importer of French, Spanish and Italian wines to the US essentially played that role. Solomon has the reputation of having a great blending palate, and worked with Capcanes to take blends of their best lots to produce custom bottlings for the US market. Some of these ended up being old vine Grenache-dominated while others are eclectic Cabernet-Grenache-Merlot-Tempranillo mixes unique to Montsant and Priorat. He produced a series of bottlings each year ranging from a low end Mas Donis - Barrica (oak aged) at about $14-15 to a high end Cabrida (about $60). Even the Mas Donis is an astonishingly serious, deep, rich wine and one of the best values in red wines currently available anywhere.

Eric Solomon believes that Montsant will be the next Priorat, which is not a light hearted claim, as his wife is proprietor of Clos Erasmus, one of the best domains in Priorat.

I have always wondered how these old vine Montsant Grenache-Syrahs would develop given a few years of age, so I cellared a few of them each year. Tonight, we'll have a tasting of nine Capcanes from Montsant, including examples of thier Mas Donis, Costers del Gravet, Vall Calas, and Cabrida. Here are some tasting notes:

1999 Capcanes "Costers del Gravet - Les Vinyasses", Montsant (14%): The Costers del Gravet blend is an old vine Cab-Grenache-Carignane blend reminiscent of the Domaine Trevallons in Provence. No reviews available, but very similar to the 2000 Costers del Gravet below.

1999 Capcanes "Cabrida", Tarragona-Zona Falset (14%): "The luxury cuvee of 100% old vine Grenache, the 1999 Cabrida, was aged 14-18 months in new French oak. It is a serious, although closed offering for true connoisseurs. Made from small yields of 17 hectoliters per hectare, it exhibits a deep purple color as well as a muscular, powerful personality with notes of kirsch liqueur intermixed with blackberries, currants, licorice, truffles, new saddle leather, and roasted meats. Deep, robust, moderately tannic, and in need of several years of cellaring, it will age well for 12-15 years. As the wine sat in the glass, the essence of cherry liqueur exploded with even more ferocity." (90/100, Robert Parker)

2000 Capcanes "Mas Donis - Barrica", Montsant (14%): "Two of the finest values I have discovered thus far in 2003 have to be Capcanes' two vintages [2000 & 2001] of Mas Donis. For its price, it is almost too rich, serious, and potentially age worthy to be believed. The wine is a blend of 80% old vine (80 years) Grenache and 20% Syrah grown in high altitude, steep vineyards. It is aged in used French and American oak. The 2000 Mas Donis possesses a dense purple color as well as aromas of blue and black fruits intermixed with earth, camphor, and spice. Medium-bodied, with loads of fruit and fine purity" (89/100, Robert Parker)

2000 Capcanes "Costers del Gravet - Les Vinyasses", Montsant (14%): "This high altitude vineyard has produced an opaque ruby/purple-colored wine with exceptional density, as well as gorgeously pure blackberry and blueberry fruit intermixed with minerals and a hint of French oak.This blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Grenache (from 70-year old vines), and 10% Carignan was aged completely in French oak before being bottled unfined and unfiltered." (91/100, Robert Parker)

2001 Capcanes "Mas Donis - Barrica", Montsant (14%): "The wine is a blend of 80% old vine (80 years) Grenache and 20% Syrah grown in high altitude, steep vineyards. It is aged in used French and American oak. The superb, concentrated 2001 Mas Donis was produced from low yields of 25-30 hectoliters per hectare. Scents of smoke, charcoal, and blueberry liqueur are followed by a dense, rich, corpulent wine with a layered, concentrated feel, and a clean, pure finish. It will benefit from 1-2 years of cellaring, and keep for a decade." (91/100, Robert Parker)

2001 Capcanes "Vall del Calas", Montstant (14%): "... the dense ruby/purple-tinged 2001 Val de Calas, a blend of 50% Merlot, 30% Tempranillo, and 20% Grenache, offers lovely aromas of creme de cassis, melted licorice, crushed rocks, pepper, and spice. It possesses superb fruit, an opulent texture, medium to full body, beautiful purity, and an alluring multidimensional mouthfeel." (93/100, Robert Parker)

2002 Capcanes "Mas Donis - Barrica", Montsant (14%): "... a blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah aged 10 months in a combination of American and French oak. There are 15,000 cases of this offering, which tastes like a baby Priorat. A dense purple color gives up scents of creosote, blackberries, kirsch liqueur, new saddle leather, and meat. Complex, rich, and nearly too serious for a wine in this price range, this is a concentrated, heady 2002 to enjoy over the next 2-3 years. It is a great value!" (90/100, Robert Parker)

2003 Capcanes "Mas Donis - Barrica", Montsant (14%): "... was aged ten months in both American and French oak. Its dense ruby/purple color is followed by sumptuous aromas of blueberries, black currants, cold steel, and minerals. Evocative of a baby Priorat, it possesses an amazing fragrance, considerable nobility as well as complexity, medium to full body, and a long, concentrated, heady finish." (92/100, Robert Parker)

2004 Capcanes "Mas Donis - Barrica", Montsant (14%): "... is 85% Garnacha from 80+-year-old vines and 15% Syrah aged for 8 months in French and American oak. Opaque purple, it has a wonderfully expressive nose of spice box, pencil lead, pepper, blueberry, and blackberry liqueur. On the palate the wine is full-bodied with layers of ripe, spicy black fruits, nicely concealed tannins, and a long, pure finish." (90/100, Robert Parker)

This was a lovely bunch of wines, and the tasting indicated that most of them are maturing very gracefully. The group's favorite was the highest priced, the '99 Cabrida, which was good, but I preferred both of the Costers del Gravet "Les Vinyasses" bottlings, as well as the '01 Vall del Calas. There really wasn't a bad wine in the lot, and the Mas Donis is an incredible value at $9 or $10. I need to start collecting the Costers del Gravet.

• 1999 Celler de Capçanes Tarragona Cabrida 91 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona

  Group's #1 (my #5) – 17 pts; 0 1st place votes, 1 2nd place vote, 2 thirds, 0 last place – Deep red violet color; ethereal blackberry, blueberry, berry and cherry nose; tasty, blackberry, berry palate with herbal tinges and good acidity, a little tight yet; medium-plus finish 91+ pts.

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• 1999 Celler de Capçanes Montsant Costers del Gravet 95 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Montsant

  Group's #2 (my #1) – 19 pts; 3 1st place vote, 0 2nd place votes, 0 thirds, 1 last place – Very dark red violet color; deep berry cordial and chocolate nose with some heat; tight, concentrated, tart berry, plum and dried cherry palate with depth; medium-plus finish

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• 2000 Celler de Capçanes Montsant Costers del Gravet 94 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Montsant

  Group's #3 (my #2) – 19 pts; 0, 2, 1, 0 – Dark red violet color; another sexy, deep, ripe berry, blackberry and black fruit nose; deep, concentrated, stunning, berry and blackberry palate with a touch of pepper; medium-plus finish

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• 2001 Celler de Capçanes Montsant Mas Donís Barrica (Old Vines) 89 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Montsant

  Group's #4 (my #8) – 23 pts; 1, 0, 0, 0 – Dark red violet color; not fully formed graphite, berry and clove nose with a touch of white chocolate; tight, tart berry, Grenache palate with firm tannins and charcoal notes; short-medium finish

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• 2003 Celler de Capçanes Montsant Mas Donís Barrica (Old Vines) 89 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Montsant

  Group's #5 (my #7) – 29 pts; 0, 1, 0, 0 – Dark cherry red color with pale meniscus; floral, dried cherry, berry and dried raspberry nose; tart, concentrated plum, berry, raspberry, dried red fruit palate, with good acidity; drying medium finish 89+ pts.

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• 2004 Celler de Capçanes Montsant Mas Donís Barrica (Old Vines) 90 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Montsant

  Group's #6 (my #6) – 29 pts; 1, 0, 0, 1 – Dark red violet color; spicy dried red fruit and berry nose with a touch of VA; youthful and tight, tangy tart plum, sous bois and berry palate; medium finish

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• 2000 Celler de Capçanes Montsant Mas Donís Barrica (Old Vines) 92 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Montsant

  Group's #7 (my #4) – 30 pts; 0, 0, 0, 0 – Slightly bricking dark red violet color; sexy, floral, black fruit, blueberry, berry, charcoal and blackberry cordial nose; tasty, concentrated blackberry, boysenberry palate with a touch of sage; medium-plus finish

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• 2001 Celler de Capçanes Montsant Vall del Calàs 93 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Montsant

  Group's #8 (my #3) – 30 pts; 0, 1, 1, 2 - Bricking dark red violet color; sweet, smoky barbeque, roasted and dried raspberry, and charcoal nose; smoky barbeque, sweet roasted pork and charcoal palate with good acidity; medium-plus finish

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• 2002 Celler de Capçanes Montsant Mas Donís Barrica (Old Vines) 88 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Montsant

  Group's #9 (my #9) – 31 pts; 0, 0, 1, 1 – Dark red violet color; diffuse yet deep berry, black fruit and spice nose; tart charcoal, berry and sous bois palate with good acidity; medium finish

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