Priorat + A 'Perfect' Wine

Year 13, No. 10

We’ve arrived to one of my favorite moments of the year which is the release of the DOQ Priorat report along with the tasting report of 150+ wines that I’ve rated to accompany it.

While I’m tasting and visiting cellars in this region throughout the year, the annual report really gives the opportunity to bring it all together, stand back, and go, “Wow, what a dynamic region!” which is why it usually runs a bit longer than others; 3,700 words in this case.

The nuts and bolts version is: 2022—tough, 2021—overall amazing. Classic producers are making their best wines ever, but new projects are keeping them on their toes, and enotourism visits are very much up (plan a visit). Otherwise, if you want the full run down, that’s for paid subscribers.

I should add there’s something else special about this report in that it sees me give my very first 100 point score to a wine in nearly two decades of reviewing. I realize that this is a score bandied about quite often by some, but for me, it feels like the ultimate destination for a wine and to be used only in very select moments.

I’ve given it to a very, very special vi ranci wine that I tasted during an evening put on by the excellent winery, Vall Llach called, “La Nit del Poble”. If you missed this summer edition, they’ll be doing another in December although this 100 point wine might very well not be around then as it’s a true rarity.

Like all the reports, this is just for paid subscribers but in addition to the DOQ Priorat report, there’s also a new report on the top Slovenian wines as an added bonus for this newsletter!

And lastly a bit on the harvest as it’s started yesterday with some producers in the Penedès region picking their grapes for sparkling wines. Yes, this is earlier than last year and yes, this is indeed Crazy Town.

Drink well, be well.

-Miquel

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