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How do you top off a weekend of wine? By opening another bottle!
It has been a long weekend filled with wine. We had a wine tasting in-store on Saturday with wines of Argentina, then a dinner at Currents with Jeffrey Davies on Saturday evening, and to top it off a day chocked full of seminars and Bordeaux that some people only have a once in a lifetime chance to taste! My favorite was the Chateau Pavie seminar put on by Jeffrey Davies. We had the fortunate opportunity to taste the 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004, & 2005 Pavie all in one seating with the ever entertaining Davies to guide us through them all. My favorite was the 2000 … or will be in a few years when it is ready to come back to! I was also impressed with the 2004. Its a great wine and I think its greatly underestimated. Needless to say the weekend was winenormous!So how did I wrap up the night? With a juicy steak and a bottle of the 2007 Laurel by Clos Erasmus. All I can say is ”Wow!”. I think its better than the 2006 from my recollection. Very big and velvety with blackberries and licorice. It was the perfect ending to a great wine weekend.
2007 Laurel by Clos Erasmus $49.99
Some history on Laurel:
The Laurel cuvee is produced 100% from the Clos Erasmus vineyards but from the more recent plantings and is the result of declassification of some of the barrels of Clos Erasmus. It is approx. 50% grenache, 30% syrah, and 20% cab. In 2005, Clos Erasmus was chosen by Robert Parker (the million dollar nose) to be included among the 175 estates in his book “The World’s Greatest Wine Estates”. That says a lot, especially being that only six of the estates chosen were from Spain.
- Summer Martin, B-21′s Spain & Portugal Advocate
What were we drinking? Mixed grill, cold watermelon and…Priorat
2007 Black Slate by Celler Cal Pla (Priorat) $19.99
It was my kind of dream dinner party, a simple salad and all the rest cooked on the grill. The salad was watermelon and feta, the most refreshing idea from Greece since democracy, plus almonds and cucumbers on romaine dressed with oil and vinegar. The mixed grill was more Mediterranean global than a parillada, certainly when it came to the sausages, spicy lamb merguez, chicken-feta spinach and of couse bratwurst. (How can you fire up the grill and not put on a sausage?). Meanwhile there was a small chicken rubbed with olive oil turning on the rotisserie. BTW, a Bell & Evans chicken is the rare designer bird I think well worth the price. Organic, no antibiotics, vegetarians and wide-roaming chicks, and most important to me, bursting with flavor and juice. And in the last ten minutes a small steak with garlic and my own Provencal herbs.
So there’s char, smoke, fat, spices pork, lamb, beef and chicken with ample and divergent spices, plus a fruity salad. First one to say rosé is taking the easy way out.
Nope, I pulled out a bottle of Black Slate from Porerra. At $19.99 you could call it the poor man’s Priorat but you get a full taste of Spain’s most fashionable terroir, the rocky schisty cliffs outside Barcelona that compress old vine garnacha and carinena into a dense sleek wine, packed with blueberries and thick with licorice.
This was not a robust Zin or Shiraz that matched primal flesh on the fire, but a strong elegant wine that kept its beauty when silhouetted in the flames. It stood up to all the big flavors and was admirable on its own.
2007 Black Slate (Priorat, Spain)
2007 Black Slate (17.99 on sale) - 91 Points, The Wine Advocate
“New Spanish wines are popping up every day, each of them flaunting a score over 90 points and flashing a fancy new label. What makes the 2007 Black Slate different, is simple. It has pedigree. This isn’t the brain child of an unexperienced businessman trying to start a winery with wikipedia’s guide to viticulture. Winemaker Joan Sangenis was born and raised in Porerra, a tiny village in Priorat. His family has been making wine for 200 years. Joan himself got hands on experience at the bodegas of Alvaro Palacios and René Barbier. In 1996 he jumped at the chance to renovate his parent’s old bodega and begin “Celler Cal Pla” also known for their Mas d’en Compte wines that have achieved high Parker praise. With vines 60-100 years of age, this new project is the inspiration of Burgundian nomenclature, hence the reference to it being a village appellation on the label. It is hard enough to find a wine from Priorat under $40 much less under $20.”
90 Points, Summer Martin
February 2010
Top 100 Wine: 2006 Mas Doix Salanques
2006 Mas Doix Salanques was #53 on Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2009 (34.99)
Coming in at #53 is Spain’s 2006 Salanques by Mas Doix. The Doix family has been making wine for 5 generations in Priorat where the vineyards of Mas Doix represent Priorat at its best, with slate soils and very old vines. Salanques is a “mini” Mas Doix and has always been a favorite of mine. It is an awesome blend of of Grenache that will please many of you Rhone Rangers out there. ¡Feliz Navidad!
Check out Wine Spectator’s review:
”A plush texture carries rich flavors of brandied cherry, dark chocolate, cocoa and mountain herbs in this expressive red. The tannins are firm but well-integrated, and the finish is bright and juicy. Drink now through 2014.” 92 Points, The Wine Spectator
Not only does Spectator think its great, but Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate rated it 93 Points. Top 100 Wines are a great way to kickoff the new year. Cheers!
#53 on Top 100 Just Arrived – 2006 Mas Doix Salanques (Priorat)
2006 Mas Doix Salanques (Priorat) - $34.99
The 2006 Mas Doix Salanques is being unloaded as I type this blog, and should be showing in stock as soon as I hit “post”. This is exciting news, because it means one of my favorite wines will be here before Christmas! Mas Doix Salanques has long been a favorite of mine (and an affordable alternative to their big brother Mas Doix).
A little history behind Doix (by the way this is pronounced Doh-E-ch): The Doix family has been making wine for 5 generations in Priorat where the vineyards of Mas Doix represent Priorat at its best, with slate soils and very old vines. Salanques is a “mini” Mas Doix and an awesome blend of of Grenache that will please many of you Rhone Rangers out there. Its the first year it has made it into the Top 100 List, but its time was definitely due. At #53 on the list, this is a great present for that Spanish wine lover in your life. ¡Feliz Navidad!
PS – The 2005 vintage of Mas Doix Salanques is on sale right now for 25% off! (Only $22.49!)