Wines of the Year in Spain

[vserna]

It's in Spanish, but at least the names of the wines are easily comprehensible...

http://elmundovino.elmundo.es/elmundovino/...icia=1073220997

[Jason Perlow]

I'll have to try that Fino they mention.

Thats the only Sherry on that list though, correct?

3 Priorats and 4 Riojas. I guess you could say Priorat has come of age.

[vserna]

Indeed, in addition to reds we have a white wine category and an "other wines" category for fortified, sweet or fizzy wines, and there's always a winner in each of those three. But this was a very strong year for reds, so every single one of the 12 'honorary mentions' has gone to a red wine. I think this is the first time in ten years we have had such a situation...

[Jason Perlow]

Victor, have you tried any of those Priorats?

[vserna]

Yes, all three of them. L'Ermita, Clos Mogador and Clos Erasmus have almost constantly been the top three in the region for the past decade, and in 2001 all three were fantastic, combining power with complexity and elegance: an unlikely mix. Very expensive, though...

[Jason Perlow]

Yes, all three of them. L'Ermita, Clos Mogador and Clos Erasmus have almost constantly been the top three in the region for the past decade, and in 2001 all three were fantastic, combining power with complexity and elegance: an unlikely mix. Very expensive, though...

What kinds of food would you pair with these three?

Do you have approximate euro pricing on these so we can have an idea of what these might cost in the States?

[Jason Perlow]

http://www.wineaccess.com/store/chelseawin...uct_id=10585816

The 2001 Clos Mogador goes for $69.99, dios mio.

http://www.winecask.com/winestore/detail.cfm?sku=17628

the 2000 Erasmus is going for $115.00 (cough!)

http://www.klwines.com/product.asp?sku=1005976

The L'Ermita 2001 Priorat is listed here at $349 (gack!)

Here's a "mas barato" wine that is made from grapes that didnt make it in to the L'Ermita. Have you tried it?

http://www.wineaccess.com/store/winehouse/...uct_id=10587623

[vserna]

Les Terrasses is Alvaro Palacios' third wine, after L'Ermita (60 year-old grenache vines) and Finca Dofí (a younger vineyard planted to grenache, cabernet sauvignon, syrah and some merlot), and the only one of the three made from bought-in grapes, mostly grenache and carignan. It's a pleasant honest Priorat, no doubt, but in an entirely different league.

Priorat, as a wine for food, is comparable to a powerful but very aromatic Châteauneuf-du-Pape like Château de Beaucastel. You need meat dishes, not necessarily the proverbial grilled beef steak, but certainly powerful and spicy: from a venison stew to such exotic dishes as a lamb rogan josh or a goulasch with spätzle noodles...

About the prices: I'm afraid the Clos Mogador, after finishing No. 4 on the Wine Spectator's Top 100 list for this year, will see its price rise and inch closer to the other two. But great wines of this caliber are no longer cheap anywhere in the world.