Region: Priorat, Spain

Composition: 55% Red Grenache, 25% Carignan, 15% Syrah, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon

History: Christopher Cannan discovered the potential of Priorat in 1983 when he was given a bottle of Priorat from the 1974 vintage from the Scala Dei winery. The wine was excellent and an unusually good value at $4.00 a bottle! Shortly after, Christopher met Manuel Peyra, owner of Scala Dei, and began exporting these delicious wines to several countries. Later, in 1988, Christopher met Álvaro Palacios at the New York Wine Experience, informing Palacios of his plans, where he enthusiastically explained the project of making world-class wines from old Priorat vineyards. A couple of years later, Christopher decided to show the wine to Robert Parker at one of his regular tastings, and Parker didn’t wait to write an article to show his enthusiasm, but it was after he published his next issue of “The Wine Advocate”, with exceptionally high evaluation, that the trade finally realized what was happening in this remote corner of Catalonia. The wines have since been exported to numerous North America and Asia countries. Priorat has not looked back, but today, it has more than 2,000 hectares in production, and 96 wineries worldwide sell their wines.

Tasting Notes:

In the mouth it is fresh, with a clear prominence of red and black fruit. Round tannins. Intense red color with a bluish rim. On the nose there are intense aromas of red and black fruits along with notes of licorice and some notes of undergrowth.

Awards: 91pts Robert Parker