Marco Abella, Priorat (Spain) 2009

This is the wine that finished in first place in the 1,000 wines+ China tasting.  After I tasted it, I can understand.  The 2009 Clos Abella explodes on the palate with delicious flavors of black cherry fruit, spice, and voluptuous tannins.  It is a powerhouse of a wine with a long finish. Just about perfect; it should last for decades.  Certainly the most impressive Priorat that I have ever tasted.  Clos Abella is aged for 24 months in second-year French oak barrels, and then is aged in bottle for another two years before it is released. It is composed of 50 percent Carignan, 39 percent Grenache, and 11 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.  Clos Abella is made from a special selection of grapes, some of which are from vines up to 100 years old.  One vineyard is 2290 feet in altitude.  Grapes grow slowly up here, and are picked late.  Another vineyard, with oxidized iron ore, grows particularly earthy Carignan. This is the source of Clos Abella’s Carignan. Just a magnificent wine.