Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/41419
DEPARTMENT HEADER much personality, showing an earthy, cherry note, fine tannin textures with a very elegant finish." Young and unoaked, the VAZA 2009 Cosecha (SRP $12) is comprised of 100% Tempranillo, unobscured by wood. The VAZA 2007 Crianza (SRP $15) is made entirely of Tempranillo and displays notes of cherries, red currants and plums. The wine opens up with strong, fruity Tempranillo aromas, typical of the modern Rioja Alavesa reds. The VAZA Crianza is aged for 14 months in American and French oak barrels. Very focused fruit and with good balance, it goes great with tapas and acorn-fed suckling pig. Morlanda An hour-and-a-half drive south of Barcelona are the highly praised regions of Priorat and Montsant. The terrain is steep and severe, and it required us to downsize our ride to accommodate the twisting mountain roads. Not exactly a lot of wine tour traffic! The slopes are dotted with small vineyards, smaller than any other we've seen, in areas of extreme remoteness. We are greeted at a very small hilltop winery, Morlanda, and then led through a small block of Grenache Blanc to a breathtaking overlook of Priorat and Montsant. Centuries old, hand-developed, terraced vineyards climb the mountainside of Priorat, and the peak of the DO's namesake, Montsant, mountain of the Saints, rises above it all in the distance. Priorat wines are among the most recognized wines in Spain and are only getting more famous as the region develops. The soils and climate of Sommelier Charlie Arturaola positioned at a Laguardia lookout in Rioja Alavesa. Priorat are so unique, it was granted official DOC status. The soil content is a mixture of slate and quartz, with a shiny black licorice appearance; the locals call it licorella because it imparts an unmistakable minerality to the wines. In the steep, terraced vineyards, the yields are very low but with high extract—the reason Priorat wines display wonderful concentration, body and intensity. The Morlanda 2007 Criança (SRP $48) is a sensational wine that contains the traditional grapes of Priorat: 50% Garnacha and 50% Cariñena. Many people believe that these varieties are at their best in Priorat, producing wines of enormous power and depth, deep cherry red with long legs. The aroma is ripe and intense with autumn fruits and notes of licorice, toasty oak and dark chocolate. The palate is powerful and flavorful. "The DOC Priorat is a fresh sign of great winemaking with old roots," comments Arturaola. "It's where you will find the more adventurous and forward-thinking team of winemakers in Spain. The Morlanda Criança is a rediscovery, with sense and terroir understanding, all in your nose. You see and taste these wonderful terrazas. Long huge tannins with blueberries, wild berries, long flavors of spice, cloves and integrated oak." Fra Guerau The Montsant DO was carved out of the much larger DO of Tarragona; it virtually encircles the famed Priorat DOC. The climate is Mediterranean, but the steep Montsant Range for which the DO was named stands between the vineyards and the sea. Fra Guerau takes its name from a 12th-century monk who supposedly had preternatural powers, retiring to a cave to meditate. The Fra Guerau estate has plantings of all the traditional grapes of Montsant, in addition to Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, which are used as blending grapes. The Fra Guerau 2007 Rosé (SRP $15)—a blend of 50% Syrah, 25% Grenache and 25% Merlot—is a deep blush of pink coral. A wonderful full aromatic nose with strawberry and autumn raspberry notes. september 201 1 / the tasting panel / 121