Mas Igneus Priorat Barranc Dels Closos 2006

Last night I had a relatively cheap red from the Priorat region of Spain, Barranc dels Closos 2004, bottled by Igneus, that was a blend with a lot of garnacha tinta (80% with 20% carignan, I believe) in it. Unfortunately this was slightly damaged somewhere between Barcelona and my house in Western Tokyo, but I still could detect a far more sophisticatedly layered and tasty wine than I expected. Hints of chocolate licorice, hillside herbs and peppery spice, with lush fruit (especially roasted cherries). If I'd had this blind I might have guessed it was a pinot noir from an iconoclastic French read more...winemaker I hadn't yet tasted.That a-typical for the Spanish grenache I've drunk so far. Pinot noir heading towards Port? And a great value for its price. The damage affected its balance (tannins vs. acids) a bit so I'll be looking for bottles from other shipping lots (or at least liquor stores), to see if I can find a healthier one.    (hide)

June 2009

I had this wine at a fantastic nouveau restaurant in Montreal - sadly i cant remember the name of the restaurant.

Relatively cheap, but very nice. Cool herbal and mineral tones led to a surprising complexity. Good fruit, and a lot of oomph for a wine of this price. As DM says in his review, very pinot esque, although fuller.

August 2009