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| DOMBEK photo © 2012 |
Alvaro Palacios
Camins del Priorat 2009
Priorat, Spain
30% Garnacha, 60% Cariñena,
10% Cabernet Sauvignon & Syrah.
Deep red violet in color,
this wine exhibits lovely perfume, earthy and woodsy notes on the nose, along
with hints of cedar, cocoa and violets.
Slightly dusty and soft, sensuous and smooth on the tongue, with
beautiful luscious fruit such as currant, plum and dark cherry, even raisin and
fig. After some time, coffee liqueur
underlying, along with dark chocolate, juniper and incense. This opens slowly but gorgeously - with
balance, depth and nice tannic structure.
WoW!
Winemaker Alvaro Palacios, who is said to embody “the
promise and spirit of The New Spain”, was one of nine children born to the
owners of Rioja’s respected Palacios Remondo.
He studied enology in Bordeaux with Jean-Pierre Moueix at Chateau Pétrus, crediting
his time there for imbuing him with his winemaking philosophy and showing him
“the importance of great wines”. He
chose the remote area of Priorat, located in the southern part of Spain’s Catalonia region (60 miles from Barcelona) to establish his vineyards. The terroir consists of steep hills and
terraces of schist, evoking his experience at Pétrus. Camins del Priorat is preceded by some big
and expensive “trophy wines” created by Palacios: Finca
Dofí (only 1,250 cases!) and Les Terrasses “Velles Vignes” (I would LOVE to try those!) Camins del Priorat is intended to be much more
affordable and approachable. But how delicious and what ancestry! Aged
3-4 months in barrique, followed by tank and cask aging, totally unfiltered. In addition, 2009 is touted as a monumental
vintage, “with the ripeness of 2003 and balance of 2008.” Try this one, it’ll knock your socks off!
This wine is imported by Rare Wine Co., Sonoma,
CA. and distributed locally by SoPo Wine
Co., South
Portland, ME. Find it for
around $21.99 at RSVP on Forest Ave. and Rosemont Markets,
Portland.
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