~US$30, Grenache/Carignan/Cabernet Sauvignon, Priorat Spain

I love Priorat wines for stories and soul that goes into the wines as much as the actual liquid. From accounts and photos of the area, it’s a beautiful and dangerous other-worldly terrain that would seem unlikely to be producing much in the way of agriculture/viticulture. But in the past 20 years,a small group of producers (led by Alvaro Palacios, Daphne Glorian, and Rene Barbier) have proven that through insanely hard work - world-class wines from indigenous varieties can be coaxed from the schisty, terraced cliffs.

Les Terrasses is Palacios’ entry-level Priorat cuvee, comprised of Grenache and Carignan with a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon. Pop and poured - zingy acidity, red fruits, but tight and astringent - so I put it away for 2 days to see how it developed. Retasted and it put on wonderful complexity and weight. Bing cherry flavors melded with a deep, herbal spiciness - primarily lavender and thyme. Immediately comparable in flavors to a Chataueneuf-du-Pape, just lighter in body. The Cabernet brings some nice cedar and currant to the midpalate with an clean tannic lift. Signature Priorat wet-slate finish, which could be lengthier. Even after 2 days open it still had very dry tannins which mark this for pairings with fattier foods - it could make your gums a little too sticky on its own. There is clearly enough fruit here to carry this wine for another day or 2 in an open bottle, or probably till 2018+ in cellar.

Personally, this is a great value @ $30 - because it affords the ability to be played with over a week - and it’s just delicious and not mind-blowingly alcoholic or too fruity or oakey. This is a finessed wine that probably wont be revelatory to the wine-drinker buying Spanish wines in the $10-15 range - but for those who drink the pricier Rhones, Shiraz, and even certain Bordeaux, this wine will have you wondering why you’d want to spend 2x or 3x this price.

~$45US - Garnacha, Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah,  Priorat, Spain

Night 1: Sweet-tarts. Strong plum and raspberry fruit, black pepper and zippy acidity. Firm tannins. Very tight. Whisper of oak. Must revisit tomorrow.

Night 2: Still tight, but opened up very nicely over several more hours. Plenty of fruit, but much deeper and longer as the tannins smoothed out. Leather and herbal (basil?) aromas float in and out of focus. Sweet-tartness still a primary attribute. Definite chalky and gravelly flavors on the finish that are just delicious in contrast with the fruit and acidity. White pepper.

This is truly and elegant and subtle wine. It has a fascinating structure - a very focused and linear core of fresh fruit surrounded by a periphery of wild, darting flavors- chalk, leather, coffee, herbs, flowers, rhum agricole.

The components of the blend are so well integrated that it’s hard to tell where one’s contribution ends, and another’s begins. This is a family of 4 grapes; each speaking, but telling one story about their home vineyard. A triumph of place over style or variety.

~$27US  60% Grenache / 35% Carignan / 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, Priorat Spain

MAGENTA! Wicked color on this wine. Nose of fresh blueberries, smoked meats, and provincial herbs. Very chewey, deep-toned flavors of berries and herbs, which revealed the balancing acidity over time in the mouth. Then cabernet added a touch of tannic structure that was very well integrated. As it opened, it became softer and more liqueur-like, with some red-fruits coming into play. Very long finish, with stony and earthy notes.

This wine really offered the best of old and new world wine-styles - big and round fruit, with alluring wild herbal notes and an elegance to the overall presentation (no crazy oak, no crazy ABV, etc). Well done. A rebuy.

~$35US Grenache Blend, Priorat

This was tried on an impulse - I’m big on the region,  it seemed a decent price (for a Priorat),  and I hadn’t heard of it, so what the heck. Popped and tasted: Garnet, and nothing but wood and tannins. I came back a few hours later, and it started to shed the oak and pick up some steam. The nose opened nicely, with cigar-box, black cherries, and chocolate-covered raisins. In the mouth, it was overall leaner than the nose let on, and more that a little tannic. The firm acidity added some lift and hit some pomegranate notes. While lean and dry, it showed admirable complexity but a short cherry-Popsicle finish.

Overall, this wine hit some really nice notes from a flavor standpoint, but missed for me from a structure and balance standpoint.  In my perfect world, I wish I could have dialed down the wood, up the fruit and minerality - and kept everything else as-is. I know very little about this wine, but 5 years old, so it’s hard to say if it was over the hill, too young on in a “dumb” phase.  Again, not a bad wine by any means, but I found myself dwelling more on the flaws than the strengths.

~$12US 50% Garnacha / 50% Carinena, Priorat, Spain

Deep Purple color - a touch lighter than I expected. Nose was somewhat restrained - cranberries, black cherry, and plum. Refined on the palate, for a $12 wine…actually quite elegant, with firm tannins, balanced fruit (no oak-monster here!) and a surprising peak of acidity, giving it a touch of lift on the midpalate. Cranberry flavors up-front, with some tobacco and earthiness towards the finish. Medium bodied. After some air-time, the tannins smoothed out and it became a downright perfect partner to the local gourmet pizza (Dewey’s). Good work, Onix.

Overall, not the most complex wine in the world - but elegant in it’s simplicity. A strong effort and an excellent everyday drinker, without the flaws of so many in this price range can be pitfalled by (over-oaked, over-fruited, thin, flabby). Balanced. If this is the value wine from the Priorat, I can’t wait to try the big-dogs.