Recommendations for Priorat?

I tried a Priorat the other night. Took no notes, and that was their last bottle. I was intrigued, though. I haven't been too lucky with Spanish reds yet.

Any recommendations for Priorat? Traditional and New in style

Brian, try the 2004 Alvaro Palacios Priorato Seleccion Terrasses. Wine House in LA has it for $30.

Priorat wines have become very expensive. In general, they do not offer me any QPR. I'm sure there are exceptions, but $100 price tags are not uncommon.

There are no 'traditional' Priorats since before the 1990s most wine made in the region was fortified 'rancio' style stuff - not dry table wines. There's an older and pretty unsanitary winery in the region though, Scala Dei - if you like some brett ("brett is what they call 'terroir' in the Rhône", French wine writer Michel Bettane likes to say), then try and find some Scala Dei Negre.

That said, some good Priorat wines at not-astronomic prices which can be found on the American market, and thus possibly in California:

Artigas 2004, Vinyes Mas Romaní ($26 to $28 in California). (Best QPR in this group.)

Ceps Nous 2003, Pasanau Germans ($24 in California).

Embruix 2004, Vall Llach ($34 in California).

Coma Vella 2001, Viticultors Mas d'en Gil ($37 in Oregon).

Les Terrasses 2004, Alvaro Palacios ($28 at the Rare Wine Company in Sonoma - Alvaro's importer).

Victor:

I was an early-on fan of the Scala Dei Brugueres, their Garnacha Blanca.

It was intriguing wine (even with the oak treatment that I found heavy-handed), but I found way too much bottle variation and downright spoiled wine. Mayhaps it was the unsanitary conditions that you mentioned. Anyway, I got tired of the spoilage rate and moved on to other wines.

Are there any other white Garnachas that you can reccomend?

Would you no longer recommend the wines of Mas d'en Gil?

I remember I once posted some favorable notes about older Masia Barril wines and you informed me that the winery had become Mas d'en Gil, with a number of wine making improvements associated with the change.

Rahsaan:

You have to read my posts more carefully...

"Coma Vella 2001, Viticultors Mas d'en Gil ($37 in Oregon)."

(It seems that the most recent vintages of Mas d'en Gil are no longer available in the US - a shame. Also, their top cuvée, Clos Fontà, is one of those very expensive Priorats I'm not going into here.)

Hoke:

White wine improvement has been rather startling the past few years in Priorat. Mas d'en Compte Blanc has been regularly excellent (it's barrel fermented, so, yes, it shows some oak), and so is Mas d'en Gil's Coma Blanca (but, as explained above, it seems it's no longer imported.) Other nice ones: in a traditional Rhoneish style, Viñedos de Ithaca's Odysseus; in a more modern, and unoaked, style, La Conreria d'Scala Dei (no relation to the Scala Dei winery). Cellers Fuentes' Vinya Lisarda 2004 was excellent, but it doesn't seem to be available in the US. Belgian Dirk Hoet's Nunci Blanc 2004 is a funky, terroir-infused white Priorat that I really like (but it's a blend of grenache blanc, macabeo, parellada, pedro ximénez, xarel.lo and muscat of Alexandria). One more name: Clos Mogador's Clos Nelin, with a little viognier with the grenache.

Rahsaan:

You have to read my posts more carefully...

"Coma Vella 2001, Viticultors Mas d'en Gil ($37 in Oregon)."

(It seems that the most recent vintages of Mas d'en Gil are no longer available in the US - a shame..

Yes, indeed I skimmed too quickly.

And so many stories with importers changing companies, perhaps with all these Points Flying there will be more interest..

I've enjoyed both Vall Llach Embruix and Alvaro Palacios Les Terrasses. These are the Priorat that I usually have a few bottles of that are available in my home stash.

Thanks, Victor.

Of those, the only one I've had was the Odysseus.

I'll be on the lookout for the others you mentioned.

Thanks, all. The Palacios terrasses seems to be a consistent favorite. I'll look for it.

Victor-I assumed without "googling" that Priorat was a traditional wine. I know nothing about Spanish wines (or, some say, about any wines ) Thanks for the info!