Alvaro Palacios Finca Dofi 2001

With this bottle Alvaro Palacios is prooving his consistency. I have previously enjoyed the entry level Les Terrasses bottling from Priorat, and had occasion this holiday to open the higher end Finca Dofi. I heard that Dofi actually ages unlike many bottles from Priorat, so I thought this 7 year old bottle would be an interesting experiment.

The nose had a brunch-like element: pancakes and maple syrup, spices like nutmeg and cinnamon, and blackberry. The palate was a nice combination of finesse and power with spicey chocolate blackberry crepes dusted with sugar, and a rounded woodyness. Structure and finish were both there in a very high class way, but what made this special was its character as a very unique and refined terroir driven expression of Grenache.

Excellent+
$100 ($68 on sale) at BCLDB

Alvaro Palacios 'Les Terrasses' 2005

Having just finished my second last exam yesterday, it is time for some more catch up posting! This particular wine is made by one of the all-stars of Spain's now famous Priorat region. Alvaro Palacios was one of the pioneers for Priorat and has seen the wines from this region go from backwater jug-wine to world-class cult wine, with Palacio's top wine L'ermita going for $888 here at BC Liquor.

This wine is Palacio's entry-level wine, and while still not cheap, offers tremendous value. This is not an over the top mega wine that Priorat has become known for. This is, rather, one of the most complex expressions of Grenache that you can get at this price point. With a nose of cherry, licorice, and leather this was still a bit tight at the time of drinking - although also still expressive. Clearly there will be more to this nose in the future. The palate was leathery, earth and replete with blackberry. Dense and concentrated without being opulent, this wine is not at all flabby and has tight acidity and a strong tannic back-bone. Really here we have a wine with superb aging potential, incredible concentration, and real personality. A brilliant wine and vintage. Very highly recommended.

Excellent to Excellent+
$55 at BCLDB

Domaine La Monardiere Vacqueyras 'Les Calades' 2006

Vacqueyras wines are not terribly profuse in this market, and accordingly I have only had a handful. I normally love the Southern Rhone, however, so it was easy to give this a try at a relatively low price point.

The nose was simple and forward with red berries, pepper and licorice. The palate was peppery, gamey and a little vegetal. Overall I enjoyed the decent flavour profile and this wine's capacity to pair well with food, but I found it otherwise a bit thin and lacking in fruit concentration. It's nonetheless good for the price and I think may be a bit of a style-wine, meaning that likes and dislikes could be divided quite strongly based on a style preference.

Good+, but Very Good (with food)
$30 at Marquis

Alto Moncayo 2003

This Spanish wine comes from the little known Campo de Borja region and is 100% Grenache. 2003 being a hot year, I expected alcohol, and this beast brought home over 15% alcohol by volume, although it carried this quite well. The nose had classic sweet cherry notes and an interesting aroma of rich nuttyness, reminiscent of hazlenut. The palate expanded the sweet cherry into meatyness and a pronounced scorched earth flavour and texture (probably from the heat, although I find this characteristic of old-world Grenache).

The structure of the wine was well-rounded and had good balance for such high alcohol. A nice touch of oak led into a slight scent of bitterness on the back end, which I was unsure if I liked or not. Tasty, but overpriced.

Very Good+
$65 ($42 on sale) at BCLDB

Two Hands Brave Faces 2006 Shiraz/Grenache

A Barossa wine from the well-known Australian 'negocient' Two Hands. This is another big american-style bruiser at 15.5% alcohol, although I thought it did a decent job with that percentage. The nose was very much classic Barossa shiraz with chocolate cherry and a touch of gameyness. This was very potent, but had excellent flavour concentration. Ultimately this is a big fruit blast without an exaggerated sense of extraction. The big complaint at this price point is that the wine is somewhat thin in the complexity (not the intensity) of its flavours.

Very Good

$40 ($28 on sale) at BCLDB

Les Pallieres Vertical

I ran this vertical tasting on one of my favourite southern Rhone wines some time ago and am glad to finally be able to put the experience to electrons. Our group tasted a 2003, 2004, and 2005 Les Pallieres Gigondas, all of which had something interesting to offer. Here are the notes, beginning with an overview of each vintage.

2003: The southern Rhone needed patience in harvesting since drought delayed ripening. The grapes were perfectly healthy and quality was exceptional, despite a slight lack of acidity. The wines have high alcohol levels and very rich, mature tannins: the 2003s will keep for a very long time.

2004: After the 2002 rains and the heat wave of 2003, 2004 marked a return to a classic vintage in the Rhone Valley. Very favourable weather conditions during September produced healthy ripe grapes. The harvest schedule was normal: between September 6 and mid-October. Concentration is remarkable and alcohol levels are quite high, but the consequences of 2003 are still visibile: yields are 20 percent lower than normal. in the south, the 2004's seem better balanced than the 2003s.

2005: A rainy spring, a dry summer, and a bright, sunny September gave a winning ticket to the Rhone Valley in 2005. With a maturity that came early, this vintage has produced rich though extremely balanced wines. In the south, the 2005s could match the excellent 1990s. The Grenache is stunning, with a remarkable balance between alcohol, fruit, and acidity. Yields were generous.

Wine #1 - Les Pallieres Gigondas 2003

Cherry, peppery and a bit tart. This had a moderate body, but was full flavoured with mid-grained tannins and classic scorched earth flavours. What makes this stand out is its bouquet and roundness, especially when paired appropriately (try it with braised short ribs). Perhaps my favourite vintage of this wine as it keeps evolving everytime I taste it.

Excellent

Wine #2 - Les Pallieres Gigondas 2004

Super fruity, up front and in your face. This had a shorter finish than the 03, and perhaps was slightly unbalanced with a tad too much alcohol on the way down. I also missed some of the earthy and peppery notes of the 03. Still good, but perhaps less well structured than the previous year.

Very Good+

Wine #3 - Les Pallieres Gigondas 2005

This wine still needs time to develop. The nose was surprisingly thin and overall the wine was much more closed than 03 and 04. However, the fruit was pure and very balanced with notes of chocolate and cherry. What marks this as special, though, is its amazing elegance for a Grenache. Perhaps not typical for southern Rhone, I still think this will be absolutely fantastic in a few years when some bottle age gives fuller expression to the brilliant fruit lying in waiting for the patient.

Very Good (I'm guessing will be Excellent in 1-2 years)

$40/bottle across the board

Torres Salmos Priorat 2005

Spanish wine is a bit of an untapped resource for me, which is a shame given bottles like these. I've been trying to explore a bit more of Spain, from tasting a Monastrell a few days ago to exploring the Priorat Region of Northeaster Spain, which is quite an interesting place. Priorat specializes in old vine Grenache. For many years they were known for rustic and rough wines, but lately there has been a bit of a renaissance in the region and winemakers have started tapping into the amazing potential of the often 100+ year old Grenache vines. Prices have also gone up, but this is a pretty exciting region, especially for someone like me who loves Grenache (most southern Rhone wines are heavy in that variety of grape).

The nose on the Salmos was very cherry and a bit of cherry cola (i.e. dried/candied cherry). The palate was cherry, berry, supple and smooth with chocolate, herbs and licorice rounding out the fruit. This was also a low acidity wine, but was not bloated, limp or jammy. A big and fruity wine that is full of character and, while powerful, not over the top. I am definitely seeking out more wines from this region, especially given Torres is a new entry into the region and there are plenty of older generation wineries to sample.

Excellent

$43 at BCLDB