Last night a friend held our monthly tasting group at his home and since he had just returned from Priorat (along w/ Barcelona and other parts of Spain) that was the theme he organized for last night.
While my favorite of the night was the 2001 Clos Martinet which was sumptuous and in a different league than anything else we tried, this unique wine was one worth exploring.
2003 Ferre I Catasus #3 - which was a blend of mostly Garnacha and Carinena, with minor parts of Cab. Sauv. and Merlot, coming from a 2nd generation family owned winery and 80 year old vines.
Initially taut and dominating oak that I felt would integrate, I decided to take the bottle home to see how this would show this morning when I had a fresher palate and it had plenty of time to open up.
Glad I did!!! It improved – DRAMATICALLY
Clearly this youngster need lots of aeration and/or several more years of cellaring.
Scarlet red color and fully opaque, with a nose delivering scents of figs, smoky notes, brambly blackcurrant and hints of graphite. Not your typical Priorat profile, but intriguing nonetheless.
Possessing densely concentrated fruit, the oak was much more integrated than the night before, with tart flavors of dried black plums and crushed cranberry. The tannins were lively and puckering showing the ageability of this wine and the acidity was crisp and provided the balance. I liked the finish with its long and somewhat dry aftertaste which lingered long. This will certainly cellar for 10-15 years with ease as the structure is massive and there’s plenty of fruit to keep up. Very enjoyable although not easy to find. 92+ points today (88 last night when first opened).
I had a final few sips with dinner tonight and thought, it was deserving of one more point as with food, this was even better and showed its ability to pair beautifully with our beef stew. Final score = 93+ points.
A nice and surprising note Roy. Every 03 Priorat I’ve ever had was disappointing, probably due to the heat that summer…and to have that 03 beat out a 01 Clos Martinet is like I said…surprising.
Roy,
I just tried a few Priorats (2004 Clos Galena, 2004 Pasanau) in a home tasting. Paired w/ some Manchego cheese, some Tapas etc… Decanted them at least ~ 2-4 hrs,some aereated after the 1st pour. Very sim to your impresssions. Taut, Tannic, masking the fruit, and oak. But day 2 was an entirely different matter. I’d be interested in your suggestions for some modest, but good drinking Priorats, vintage and producers. These (thd 2004’s I mentioned), were acquired at less than $30.00-40.00, and oddly enough WA 95 points, but it was the tasting notes and sampling that won me over. Now I’m thinking a getting a few more.
I have an outstanding “private guide” I could recommend so that you would not have to worry about driving and she is a brilliant gal with not only top contacts and knowledge of the lay of the land, but is from the UK originally so English is no issue, nor is Spanish or Catal. More importantly, her grasp of the history of the region is fantastic. Should you be interested, email me for the info: portolover@aol.com
It was the smartest move I made when my wife and I visited the region which is certainly not what most would consider “tourist friendly” as this is really spartan as a wine destination.
Every 03 Priorat I’ve ever had was disappointing, probably due to the heat that summer…and to have that 03 beat out a 01 Clos Martinet is like I said…surprising.
There you go again, misreading my words.
I think if you reread my orig. post you’ll see the 2001 Clos Martinet was my fave for sure.
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