Ferrer Bobet Priorat 2008 - 96 pts Wine Advocate - $43.99 net (beats best price online)

This is the first Priorat since 2001 to rate 96 points or higher and sell for under $50. Yeah... worth taking a peak at, eh?

"Ferrer/Bobet is the future showplace of Priorat. No expense has been spared in the construction of a magnificent winery and in the planting of the vineyards. Sergi Ferrer-Salat is a young pharmaceutical tycoon with apparently a much greater interest in fine wine than drugs, while his partner Raul Bobet was the long-time winemaker at Torres. Ferrer-Salat makes it clear that his goal is to make the greatest wine possible without regard to whether he makes money. I’m not sure if Bobet would totally agree, but it appears that he is up for the challenge. As for the wines, they are currently made from purchased fruit as the Ferrer-Bobet vineyards are still very young. However, money talks and the winery has been able to access great old-vine Carignan and Grenache fruit, enough so that they might have some difficulty surpassing what they have already achieved when their vineyard matures." WA

Iron fist? Meet Velvet Glove... This is such a perfect example of why I find Priorat so thrilling - class, elegance, balance and finesse... all deceptively hiding the power underneath. A gorgeous bouquet of cherry blossoms, incense and red licorice gently gives way to spicy red raspberries and cherries, with a captivating undercurrent of flowers and Asian spices. As the wine airs, more liquer-like black fruit flavors rise to the fore and the fine tannins begin to build, never dominating, but making no mistake that they are there and to be taken notice of. Pretty hard to say no to now, this will age wonderfully for a decade or more...

At $43.99, it is a steal.

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