"... Nice dark colour with shiny crimson reflections. A sweet nose of sour cherries and raspberries with vanilla-oak tones hits your nose. On the palate then silky texture with a little grip of tannins still, but already quite evolved and easily drinkable. Mouth appears instantly sweet – too sweet for my taste - with marmalade-like impression of cooked sour cherries, very intense fruit. Of course 14,5% alcohol amplify the sweet madness and the acidity is too few to counterbalance it effectively. At least a few hints of liquorice are hidden behind that sweet wall (I somehow find liquorice in many wines these days). The length is satisfying but comes with some slight bitter notes which don’t really fit into the marmalade scheme.
As the evening passes though, I got a bit used to the sweetness and the wine felt more round; furthermore notes of cinnamon and clove appeared, adding a little complexity. My general impression though was still more towards disappointment, as the Alion seemed a bit made and overdone and couldn’t really live up to expectations set by the Duero label and the Vega Sicilia group to which it belongs. Maybe with time all the pieces will find together, but I really have doubts of how this one will develop. Something seems to be lacking, maybe acidity.
Actually this is the right counter-example for that nice Margaux I had earlier, which perfectly combined power, fruit and light elegance. I’ll have to recompare both in 10 years I guess. Need some pretty loyal readers here to share that experience then lol.
91 +- ??

Neulich im Restaurant getrunken. Tolle dunkle Farbe mit Violetten Nuancen. Eine sehr intensive Nase, eher modern in Richtung Himbeer(-Marmelade?) dieser junge Wein der Bodega Rejadorada. Am Gaumen ebenfalls Himbeer-fruchtig, dabei mit kräftiger Statur aber auch seidiger Eleganz. Die kräftige Statur deutet wohl bestimmt, mal abgesehen vom höher dosierten Alkohol, auch auf die 6 Monate die der Wein im Barrique-Fass verbracht hat hin, jedoch schmeckt man Sie fast gar nicht: keine Astringenz, nur eine leichte Vanillenote. Wie die meisten spanischen Topweine aus der Tempranillo-Rebe (hier auch Tinta de Toro genannt) gekeltert. In seiner modernen Art hat er mich fast ein bisschen an den Flor de Pingus erinnert. Im Vergleich zu diesem ist er mit 10 Euro eigentlich ein Schnäppchen. Also auf jeden Fall ein gutes Preis-Genuss-Verhältnis; man muss halt nur diese moderne fruchtige Stilistik mögen.
88-90 Punkte

During our small road trip through Eastern Spain we seized the occasion and drove through one of the most interesting wine regions of the moment. Priorato is located approximately 150 Km Southwest of Barcelona next to the river Ebro. The region is mostly mountainous and the vines are growing on rather steep slopes within a dramatic landscape. Taking the tiny roads can be dizzying, especially when they are winding around these steep slopes and a local follows closeby and nearly pushes your car.
We drove through Gratallops, Torroja and Porrera, 3 villages where some famous winemakers such as René Barbier (Clos Mogador), Alvaro Palacios, Rotllan Torra and Cims de Porrera have their cellars.
The interesting story concerning this region is that it was already on the way to disappear from the wine map, when 20 years ago, French winemaker René Barbier came there and realized the potential of old Carinena vines within this microclimate. Since then, the region is booming and makes some of the most acclaimed Spanish wines.
Unfortunately we drove through the region on a national holiday, so we couldn’t try any wine at the wineries. Nevertheless this is one of the most beautiful regions to visit and the drive was definitely worth it. Here are some impressions.

If you ever go to Rosas, when you have a reservation at EL Bulli for instance, there is another restaurant which might interest you. I believe it is some kind of well-known secret tip (check out here) that Can Rafa propably offers the best seafood in town and represents the ideal contrast to El Bulli. Here everything is simple. There is no menu: Rafa will compose you a fish and seafood menu depending on the catches of the day and your preferences. There is no wine list: just order the bottle of white Godello they offer you, it’s a delicious wine and an excellent match to all the dishes. Then you just lay back and wait for all the delicious courses. We had excellent Navajas (first time I had them, a true revelation, the next day at El Bulli we had them served cold – Can Rafa’s were better!), grilled prawns, tender sepia alla plancha and delicious grilled fish. Everything cooked perfectly and just seasoned with seasalt, pepper and olive oil, and here and there some herbs. Delicious!


Rafa in action

Fresh offerings!

I think we ate one of those

Do you recognize it?

Fresh shrimp

Kiss Me!

Everything Alla Plancha

More Plancha...

Delicious navajas!!!

Finally we have the warmest April ever here in Germany; And it feels good to sit on the balcony in the evening when it’s still warm and the sun sets while steaks are getting ready on the grill. Eventually a desire for a nice bottle of wine comes up and one is magically driven to hurry in the cellar and pick one. That evening, one of 2 bottles of the 1994 Marques De Velilla Reserva from the Ribera Del Duero which I got from an Ebay auction came into my hands. I bought them for little money, 20 Euro for both - or at least such was my feeling, since I wasn’t really aware of this Bodega and could only find a few hints on their quality in the www.
The wine had an elegant dark red colour with slight purple shades, brilliant on the sides and slightly opal on the inside. Its nose was seductive with currant, vanilla and a hint of cinnamon.
On the palate again a nice and elegant vanilla note; wood has been employed perfectly here, not overwhelming, just elegant and subtle. Fruit notes such as black currant were apparent and made the wine juicy, but again, elegant balance was found with some perfectly silky melted tannins. This wine was at best drinking age and I guess it reached a point where it will stay for some years without deteriorating; it might just change a little to become even more elegant. Finally it also had a beauriful, never-ending length.
Unfortunately our glasses got empty much too fast; you couldn’t get enough of it. This was one of the best bargains I ever had, 10 Euro for some 92-93 points of pleasure. The downside is, I would buy more of it, if I only knew where to get it!?