01438 741177
Went out of stock as I was looking at it 
I did hope that based on a recent TWS Spain tasting the 2013 Gravonia may appear at some point. Cannot remember who the TWS buyer hosting was but someone posted the line up on the Community Board recently. Most of the wines listed have appeared in the last week or two (2004 809 etc), apart from the two LdH wines, namely 2013 Gravonia and the Rosado (2009?). Christmas Fine Wine List perhaps?
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It was Pierreās event, which I was lucky enough to attend. He did say that the LĆ³pez de Heredia wines would not be appearing on the list, and that the Rosado was extremely low stock, I think he said it was enough for about 2 events.
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Oh boooooooooooooooooooo
Back to ordering from Decantalo then
Yes, if you have another source I would definitely prioritise that!
Interesting article
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Planning Christmas wines early knowing the Waitrose 25% off 6 or more offer comes next week and eyeing this Rioja for Christmas Day. Allende Calvario Rioja Exclusive wines - Waitrose Cellar
Does anyone know much about it?
Canāt find much online about it.
Planning to have beef Wellington opinions on wether it would be a good match would be great!
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Havenāt had it myself. Looks quite interesting and fairs well price wise to DecĆ”ntalo, particularly with upcoming 25% discount. Waitrose version has 2 years extra, but 2010 perhaps the better vintage. Vivino score is very good and has some reviews there. Waitrose offer doesnāt look particularly exclusive with Gomez & Blanco also selling it but for quite a bit more. Bbr offer it too. 2008 is drinking now/ drink up. Iād be tempted to add one in the upcoming offer myself. 2008 is 14% alc. 2010 is 15%. Wines above 14.5% tend to be too hot for me.
As for match I think itās a bit of personal preference. Iād definitely enjoy it. Others may also go for a Brunello or a Bordeaux. Or also what about this? Which has me tempted too
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Sadly I think Ā£99 is out of my range although Iād love to go for it. Am very tempted by the 10 Vina Del Olivio currently on the list.
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I got the '05 Vina Del Olivio in a mystery case last year. Seriously good. Iām also tempted (although it does break my maximum bottle price).
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Nice. Another one to eyeball. Have cracked and ordered one of the 890 Rioja Alta. I may crack and order more
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I ordered one. And two turned up. Terrible shame. Especially as Iām not drinking until January.
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Great tip this. I am 2 of 6 through my case. Itās really quite good already.
Does priorat go through dumb phases? Or should I proceed if itās drinking well now? I canāt do home cellaring so would need to extract 3 at a time.
Crack on or hope for better on the last 3 in storage?
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Well youāre 1 ahead of me here; itās really rather good isnāt it? Powerful but light on its feet. TWS had a window to 2023 but sure have seen other reviewers saying 2027/28 which feels more like it.
My preference is to leave for a while and let it calm down a bit, integrate more. I think itāll be more harmonious in a couple of years.
As to wether itāll be more complex or in a dumb phase in a few years? That path leads to the wide open spaces of my ignorance Iām afraid.
Having said all this i donāt promise not to drink my 5 remaining bottles in the next 12 months.
Have you tried this btw?
https://www.thewinesociety.com/product/el-mondongo-garnacha-calatayud-2018
Some similarities in style and bit of a bargain.
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Yes, itās whether there is a dumb phase as you say. Iāll have to do some reading around it. My knowledge doesnāt stretch that far either. I know aged priorat can be great but unsure on its typical ageing journey.
Thanks for the tip on the mondongo. Will add to basket if itās still in stock by my next order (currently on a buying hiatus: too much house stock + upcoming dry Jan). Or will pick it up next time itās on the list
Morning @Jimmybob @wine.arbitrageur
I like this conversation. It is now starting to be possible to answer the question of how modern Priorat (i.e. the 1989 vintage onwards) ages, because weāre past the 30-year mark. I have had the privilege of tasting these early vintages, and have a few early '90s in my cellar.
I know that luminaries like Sara PĆ©rez (Martinet) and Albert Costa (Vall Llach) keep ālibrariesā of their wines and taste them periodically to observe their evolution. But few are in public/commercial circulation.
My own experience suggests that two things can be observed, which appear contradictory at first sight:
- The wines are so long-lived they appear to hardly evolve
- You can observe subtle changes over time
Letās examine this a bit more closely.
In the first statement, what we have is a phenomenon where the wines are so powerful and intense, that is, their individual components are almost overblown (tannins: high; alcohol: high; acidity: high; residual sugar: high) that over time, they wonāt budge from these high positions. Even if their tannins soften (which they do, as they break down), everything else is still turned up to 11 (apologies for random Spinal Tap reference), so you struggle to see change. I have poured greats like Vall Llach, Martinet, Cims de Porrera, etc. at 10-15 years and to the eye, theyāre black/blue, no orange rim, quite closed on the nose sometimes, full of contained power. And you think, is there any point in ageing this? If your bag is Bordeaux, you should be starting to see those lovely tertiary flavours. And if you like Burgundy, you should also start to see new dimensions opening up. As France is many (most?) peopleās benchmark in the UK, itās safer to go with RhĆ“ne as a comparator. Especially Southern RhĆ“ne and Languedoc, as it is often Grenache-based. And we know it ages.
Under the second statement, I have enough evidence that there is ageing to be observed and enjoyed. It tends to come late (after 15 years), and is more pronounced in second-tier wines. So for example the second Martinet wine (Martinet Bru) ages really nicely. I did a vertical of about five of them going back to 1999 in 2017 and there was clear evolution. Lots of tertiaries: leather, cinnamon, earthy undertones, stewed fruit, all of that lovely soft stuff. And colour had gone from dark blue to garnet. One I really loved was the 1999 Roquers de Porrera by Celler de lāEncastell. In October 2017 I wrote:
More proof of the ageworthiness of good Priorat. Not that much more proof is needed. This classic Priorat Garnatxa and Carinyena blend exudes an alluring bouquet of figs, raisins, dried prunes, fruit compote and molasses. The tannins have noticeably softened to a silky, seductive texture. The wine still retains good structure and body and carries its relatively modest alcohol level gracefully. Its low acidity and slight port-like sweetness is no impediment to refinement or elegance. This is a delicious, almost delicate Priorat that after almost two decades still asserts power, complexity and intensity. Very good.
Just a year ago I wrote this of the 2001 Mas dāen Gil Coma Vella:
A perfect Christmas Day wine, after almost two decades of patient cellaring. Easily the best wine we had on this day. Remarkably fresh and youthful. None of the typical astringency or abrasiveness of young Priorat tannins, but rather a more velvety, caressing texture. Richly aromatic nose of carob, figs, liquorice and big juicy jammy blackberries. A touch of smoky bacon as well. Yum! On the sweet rather than savoury or saline side, but not cloying. In fact the freshness and energy was its most impressive characteristic, considering how heavy these wines can be. Age has taken this fine Priorat (admittedly from a top vintage) to a new level of depth, character and singularity. A highly enjoyable, generous, joyful wine. Got better as it was served, and gone in less than an hour. Marvellous.
So my semi-educated guess is that second-tier Priorats (ideally from good vintages) age really well and peak at maybe 20 years. By extension, top-tier, I am guessing, peak at 30, and are still good at 40. We havenāt hit more than 32 years with any modern Priorat yet, so by definition we donāt know. But I have a bunch of 20+ year top ones in my cellar (Martinet, Mogador, Vall Llach, Cims, Doix) so Iāll be able to answer this question in about a decade.
I would add the caveat that these observations are generally true for the Garnatxa-based wines, especially those with about 70-80% G and about 20-30% Carinyena (Carignan). Thatās a common blend. There are others, like the famous Vall Llach Vi de Vila, which is Carinyena-dominant, which I cannot report on because the oldest Iāve had is about 5 years. And some, as we know, have small (>10%) quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon (heresy!) and Syrah.
I think yes. The dumb phase is at about 4-7 years. Especially with the posh ones ones like DofĆ or Mas Doix. That doesnāt mean there isnāt pleasure to be had - they tend to open up after an hour or two in bottle, or 20 mins if you decant.
Finally, to close this post, a word or two about white Priorats. Oh myā¦ I am a huge fan. And let me tell you, they age exquisitely. I have written extensively about this. I think ageworthiness is their greatest strength. Aside from their distinctiveness (Vall Llachās Aigua de Llum is a true titan of a white) and their often excellent value (Mas dāen Compte Blanc may simply be the best value white Grenache-based wine on the planet), they age incredibly well. I have had them at 20 years and I cannot fail to get excited. They remind me of Hermitage Blanc, even the top ones (Chave, for example). Not in flavour profile (Marsanne is nothing like Grenache Blanc) but in ageing potential and ageing arc. Honestly, thatās the way to go if you want to see ageing stages āquicklyā (i.e. a new one every five years).
Hope this was useful, if a bit subjective.
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Great post, appreciate the time taken to give us such a comprehensive and informative answer.
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Thank you, thatās very kind! Itās a question that greatly interests me and I enjoy tasting and comparing with people.
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Fascinating to read about this, never tried before although old southern French grenache blanc blends as well the rare South African version can show wonderful evolution. Some Mas dāen Compte Blanc on order to try!
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