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PROVOCATIVE PRIORAT 95WA
Balancing the fresh, pure flavors of Garnacha with the elegance and complexity of old vine Cariñena, the powerfully rich 95pt.
2018 Bodegas Mas Alta Cirerets is a bargain-priced beauty, boasting luscious fruit hinting of wild herbs with flinty minerality
and delivering serious bang for the buck for lovers of robust, terroir-driven Spanish reds.
Although often overshadowed by larger regions like Ribera del Duero and Rioja, the rugged, remote Priorat DOC southwest of
Barcelona has gained an elite reputation among collectors over the last several decades, its unforgiving, steep vineyards planted
on the dark, decomposed slate known as llicorella mixed with shale and red clay, producing highly rated red blends but often with
stratospheric prices to match. Established in 1999 as a joint project under the direction of renowned Rhone negociant and
winemaker Michel Tardieu and the late, iconic French enologist Philippe Cambie, Bodega Mas Alta crafted the outstanding
value-driven 2018 Cirerets in the village of Vilella Alta, its organically farmed vineyards located at high altitudes from 100 to
600 meters in the shadow of the Serra del Montsant mountains. A blend of Garnacha (Grenache) from 20-year-old vines and Cariñena
(Carignan) from low-yielding 60-year-old vines, the grapes for the outstanding 2018 Cirerets were fermented separately in concrete
tanks with local yeasts, then aged separately for 16 months before blending – the Garnacha in used barrels and the Cariñena in new
ones – yielding elegant, velvety tannins finishing with mineral-tinged acidity rooted in the region's unique volcanic soils.
Drawing praise from Robert Parker over a decade ago for producing top value in the region, Mas Alta's bright and youthful 2018
Cirerets offers rich, ripe freshness with hints of exotic spice and stony minerality, ready to enjoy now and over the next few
years, a stunning, cellar-worthy value.
FEATURED WINES
2018 MAS ALTA CIRERETS 750ML
I just love the elegance and harmony of the 2018 Cirerets despite the 16% alcohol marked on the label. It's a village wine from La
Vilella Alta produced with 60% old Cariñena planted in 1962 (La Veana)...
95 points, Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate (Issue # 252 - Dec 2020)
Reg: $39.99
E-Code "ESAVE": $36.98
Expires Monday, November 13, 2023.
2020 MAS ALTA CIRERETS 750ML
It's always interesting to taste two vintages of the same wine side by side. 2020 was a heterogeneous year with ups and downs, as
it was challenging, and the wines reflect the work in the vineyard in a...
94+ points, Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate (Sep 2022)
Reg: $39.99
E-Code "ESAVE": $36.98
Expires Monday, November 13, 2023.
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