Tonight and through the weekend, we’re gonna take a trip through Spain! “Where the beer flows like wine…”
Oh wait.. That’s Aspen (bonus points if you guess the reference).
Spain! Where the wine flows like, uh.. well. Wine I guess.
Okay, tonight’s wine is a Priorat by Black Slate. From what I’d read, I was expecting to fall in love with it. Big, full and a lot going on. Hard to argue with that, but does it work (for me at least)?
Black Slate – 2011 Porrera Vi de la Vila, Priorat D.O.Q. – 14.5% alc – Porrera, Spain – about $20
Two nights.
One bottle.
First night: Pours thick and dark. Deep garnet colored. Syrupy and heavy in the glass. I gotta say it looked like a big wine, which I was anticipating. First sensation that I noticed upon smelling was a big hit of savory soy sauce notes. Those quickly gave way to Luden’s Cherry Cough drops (I felt like I was back in middle school eating those babies like candy), black cherries, menthol and a bit of brambly bushes. It definitely took me off guard.
The taste was sweet up front, with a big hit of balsamic (almost acetone-like) in the middle. Cherries, chocolate.. cough syrup? Drying to the back of the mouth after swallow. The mouthfeel? Sticky and thick . Medium finish with chocolate covered cherries poking out of the cough syrup.
And I gotta say, night 2 was much of the same, possibly even falling off a bit more. Just sweet all the way through with that distracting sour note in the middle, then the oak on the back of the tongue.
This seems like it doesn’t know what it wants to be. I liked the thickness for the most part, except the balance is way off. I really can’t go through more than a couple glasses, to be honest. For some this may be perfectly fine. If you’re a fan of sweet and sour it might hit the right spot for you.
Unfortunately, I can’t justify the price. The $20 would be better spent somewhere else I’m afraid.
NO.
Next time we’ll take a trip through Rioja. Let’s see how that one does over the next few nights.
Cheers!
Yes or No wine reviews 