Lured into the Priorat region, of the wine shops, by tasting amazing Priorat wines at this year's Hospice du Rhone, the Cellar Rat goes in search of bargain wines from the region...

... of Barcelona in the Taragona area, Priorat* is surely one of the most outstanding wine areas in Spain ... . Otherwise, the other Priorat that I know are Clos Mogador whose owner, the French René Barbier, inititated the renewal of Priorat wines, Mas Martinet, Alvaro Palacios or Vall Llach with the famous Cims de Porrera, a wine made from more than 100 years old Grenache and Carignan. Tasting Priorat is always...

I haven't been a big fan of reds from the Priorat in Spain. Just not my bag. I was REALLY skeptical about a white. It's like a fucking kiln in the Priorat; I figured these whites would be boozy, flabby, and oxidized. Wrong! The 2004 Les Brugueres Blanc from Scala Dei was great! 100% Grenache Blanc from vines over 100 years old! Loads of minerality and surprising acidity! Nice richness...

Priorat draws from its past while forging new paths...

Posted by Steve South: With chicken kebabs with roasted vegetables.. decanted for 2+ hrs 1997 Clos de l'Obac, Priorat,Costers del Siurana , Alc 13.5, $45: Fairly brown at the edges. Sour earthy, leafy aged nose... Great tastes that remind me more of Rioja than Prior...

-Javier González- De nuevo de cata. Esta vez nos “piplamos” 8 vinos de la D.O. Priorat. La cata tuvo lugar en el Bar Olimpo la noche del sábado 19 de Enero de 2008. Así pues, fue nuestra primera cata del año. Como es costumbre, estaba a “tope” de gente. Ocupamos las plazas máximas en una cata de...

My first taste of the results of all that earth-moving.

Posted by JFO: What is the deal with this region vis a vis the other main Spanish regions. The prices for wines coming from here seem to be routinely $50 and up. Sometimes way up. Rioja, other Tempranillo based wines from just about anywhere, traditional and un-trad