Vall Llach Idus 2004
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Deep cherry red in color, this wine has a provocative aroma that is slightly earthy and full of ripe berries, dried fruit, and forest herbs. On the palate it is perfectly balanced with undulating flavors of dark fruit and minerals, licorice and chocolate-covered cherries. Its great structure and long finish produce a truly extraordinary and modern wine.
45% Cariñena, 20% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Garnacha, 10% Syrah
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Wine Enthusiast
Deep and dark, this is an excellent kitchen-sink blend (it includes Carignan, Merlot, Cabernet, Garnacha and Syrah). For those who like expressive, fruity, no-holds-barred wines, you’re gonna swoon for this. The palate is super lush and full of dark cherry, tobacco, herbs and spice, while the finish is mile-long. Outwardly impressive in a modern style.
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Wine Spectator
A solid red, with plum, dark chocolate and mineral notes. The muscular tannins overshadow the fruit, but there's enough acidity for freshness and the fruit emerges on the finish. Cariñena, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha and Syrah. Best after 2008. 600 cases imported.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2004 Idus is made from fruit purchased from local growers cultivating small plots of old-vine Carinena and Garnacha. The wine consists of 45% Carinena, 20% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Garnacha, and 10% Syrah, a rather atypical blend for Priorat. Fifty percent of the wine went through malolactic fermentation in tank and 50% in barrel. Forty percent of the wine was then aged in new French oak and 60% in second year. The color is saturated purple and the aromatics quite restrained. With vigorous swirling, elements of smoke, earth, mineral, and blackberry reluctantly emerge. On the palate the wine is full-bodied and tightly wound although the raw materials are all there. The fruit is layered and concentrated, the components in balance, and there is enough structure for long-term cellaring. Give this wine 4-6 years of further bottle age and drink it through 2027. Although this wine is certain to have a long life, the real question is how much pleasure it will ultimately provide.
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Old vines naturally produce low yields, and Vall Llach reduces yields even further through careful vineyard management for densely concentrated wines. Vineyards climb steep slate hillsides, receiving optimum sun exposure and beneficial water deprivation, further concentrating the fruit. Newer plantings of Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah add complexity to the old-vine character, and the resulting wines - Vall Llach, Idus, and Embruix - have received high critical acclaim.
With hundreds of red grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended red wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged resulting in a wide variety of red wine styles. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a red wine blend variety that creates a fruity and full-bodied wine would do well combined with one that is naturally high in acidity and tannins. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
How to Serve Red Wine
A common piece of advice is to serve red wine at “room temperature,” but this suggestion is imprecise. After all, room temperature in January is likely to be quite different than in August, even considering the possible effect of central heating and air conditioning systems. The proper temperature to aim for is 55° F to 60° F for lighter-bodied reds and 60° F to 65° F for fuller-bodied wines.
How Long Does Red Wine Last?
Once opened and re-corked, a bottle stored in a cool, dark environment (like your fridge) will stay fresh and nicely drinkable for a day or two. There are products available that can extend that period by a couple of days. As for unopened bottles, optimal storage means keeping them on their sides in a moderately humid environment at about 57° F. Red wines stored in this manner will stay good – and possibly improve – for anywhere from one year to multiple decades. Assessing how long to hold on to a bottle is a complicated science. If you are planning long-term storage of your reds, seek the advice of a wine professional.
Tiny and entirely composed of craggy, jagged and deeply terraced vineyards, Priorat is a Catalan wine-producing region that was virtually abandoned until the early 1990s. This Spanish wine's renaissance came with the arrival of one man, René Barbier, who recognized the region’s forgotten potential. He banded with five friends to create five “Clos” in the village of Gratallops. Their aim was to revive some of Priorat’s ancient Carignan vines, as well as plant new—mainly French—varieties. These winemakers were technically skilled, well-trained and locally inspired; not surprisingly their results were a far cry from the few rustic and overly fermented wines already produced.
This movement escalated Priorat’s popularity for a few reasons. Its new wines were modern and made with well-recognized varieties, namely old Carignan and Grenache blended with Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. When the demand arrived, scarcity commanded higher prices and as the region discovered its new acclaim, investors came running from near and far. Within ten years, the area under vine practically doubled.
Priorat’s steep slopes of licorella (brown and black slate) and quartzite soils, protection from the cold winds of the Siera de Monstant and a lack of water, leading to incredibly low vine yields, all work together to make the region’s wines unique. While similar blends could and are produced elsewhere, the mineral essence and unprecedented concentration of a Priorat wine is unmistakable.