Catalan Wines

Lafou – Els Amelers 2022

by  |  14-10-2024

I’ve often wondered if being fascinated by the origin of words is a truly academic pursuit or merely laying the groundwork as a future creator of “dad jokes”. For instance, I get a chuckle that,... more »

Dalamára – Kapnistos 2019

by  |  02-10-2024

It goes without saying that some days are just bad days, but for those days, thankfully there’s Assyrtiko. Much like a Dirty Martini on a muggy day, Assyrtiko just changes the energy in the room.... more »

Terroir al Límit – Pedra de Guix 2022

by  |  01-07-2024

It’s as much a daunting challenge as it is a pure joy when I begin to taste the wines for the annual DOQ Priorat report. It isn’t the volume that seems a bit overwhelming as... more »

Famille Perrin – Domaine du Clos de Tourelles – 2021

by  |  25-06-2024

When working on the Gigondas Report I discovered that the region, as is usually the case, has a great deal more to offer than what one might originally see. I think the reason for this... more »

Familia Torres – Grans Muralles 2019

by  |  10-06-2024

There’s strength in diversity and don’t let some wayward soul tell you otherwise. The Torres family knows this better than anyone as for something like three decades now, they’ve been working to recuperate lost varieties... more »

Estévez – Versos de Valtuille – La Vitoriana 2021

by  |  27-05-2024

It’s amazing how what we perceive as fixed, is never actually set in stone. You change even one piece of a greater entity and it’s just “different” even if it’s still “good”. Case in point,... more »

Herència Altés – La Serra Blanc 2020

by  |  24-04-2024

People are often of the opinion that the concept of assigning a score to a wine is at best a parlor trick and at worst, utter bullshit. How can something that’s supposed to be “alive”... more »

Ridge Buchignani Ranch Carignane 2018

by  |  05-04-2024

I don’t understand why Carignan is so polemic. Anyone who’s a regular reader of this site knows that I’m a huge fan of the variety as shown with the large Carignan tasting I did awhile... more »

Bodegas Ausàs – Interpretación 2021

by  |  04-03-2024

Reverse psychology can be a bitch when selling a wine. I say this as I have to assume that the following quote from a recent article reviewing wines from Ribera del Duero was attempting such... more »

Res Fortes – Merlot Madness 2022

by  |  15-02-2024

I was recently up in the Roussillon region to research a new report on one of my most favorite regions outside of Spain, although ‘Catalunya Nord’ is only technically not Spain due to historical treaty-isms.... more »