Tasting a Decade + Drops
Year 13, No. 08
Warmest Hottest of greetings,
It seems that summer has truly found us in the week that has passed and in doing so, it has justified my having installed air conditioning last year. Taking that blistering edge off a 39C (102F) Sunday makes all things much more livable.
The same can’t be said for the grapes that have to continue dealing with whatever the sun gives them and the clouds don’t. People around the region are talking about 40% losses in terms of what’s currently on the vines now and of course, it’s just June. But, we’ve been here before and things can still go quite well for the vintage. Hope springs eternal in the vineyard!
I thought that I’ve busy and am still catching up from back-to-back trips to Slavonija in Eastern Croatia and then Rioja, Spain, but then that Russia “thing” happened of the weekend which put everything back into perspective. Full reports (on the wines, not Russia) are coming in due course so stay tuned this summer.
Speaking of reports, the DO Montsant report is now out with tasting notes for 100 wines. It’s always a pleasure to taste these wines and that’s because the winemakers are always trying something new and experimenting.
But we’ve also seen the Tast del Decenni for DOQ Priorat come to pass which is a fascinating exercise taking a look at the wines of exactly one decade previous to see if they’re still hanging in there, given up their collective ghosts, or are (ideally) truly magnificent.
We’ve just passed the San Juan festivities here in Spain, thankfully without burning this drought-ridden country to the ground via bonfires and fireworks. May all you in the US take care with the upcoming 4th of July and no, I will not recommend any BBQ wines… well okay, one: Grenache.
Drink well, be well.
-Miquel
(*) Free to read
The Featured Report
The wines of DO Montsant
We’ve seen another year pass us by which means it’s time to take a look at the wines and trends in DO Montsant. While often known as DOQ Priorat’s “little brother”, there’s a great deal to love and some excellent experimentation with new grape varieties and winemaking methods.
And Now This
While ‘Drops of God’ started airing a few weeks back, we only saw everyone yab over the trailer for this manga adaptation and not really talk about the series itself. I actually sat down and watched the entire eight-part series to give you a (hopefully) spoiler-free review. (*)
What’s a 40-year project when you’re a fifth-generation family winery? Apparently that’s the question Torres never bothers to ask as their native variety recuperation project that began back in the 1980s (!) is just now starting to bear fruit.
For the winery Mas Alta in DOQ Priorat, the last five years have probably been the most significant for them in terms of changes. As part of the lead-up to this year’s Priorat Report (coming soon), I stopped by to understand how things are and where they’re headed.
The Featured Wine(s)
You can look at this as either me cheating a bit or you getting six recommendations for the price of one because I’ve gone back to my report on AOC Terrasses du Larzac from earlier in the year and selected a very fine batch of six wines that truly represent the territory and can also offer up a great value.