Priorat, Spain
Written By: Brian Freedman on Thu, Sep 13th 2007
Not far from Barcelona lies Priorat, one of the most exciting wine regions in the world today. It is, in fact, one of the great success stories of the late 20th century, and its transformation from also-ran to world wine focal-point is nothing short of extraordinary. These days, some of the most intensely flavored, powerful, and complex wines anywhere are produced in this hot, dry D.O. The soils are gloriously poor and, as a result, the relatively few grapes that many of the older vines do produce are concentrated and possessed of enormous potential. The reliance on both native grape varieties like garnacha and carinena, and other national and international ones like tempranillo, cabernet sauvignon, and syrah, make for some truly fascinating blends. And the winemaking know-how that has been brought to bear in this region is simply astounding, resulting in some of the world’s most sought-after bottlings, including the near-legendary Clos l’Ermita and Clos Mogador. And while prices are certainly not low—some might even say they’re bordering on outrageous—there are still some bargains to be found. You just have to look for them.
