New Spanish releases....

Spanish Stars from Eric Solmon
2015 Capcanes Mas Donis Old Vines....$12.99
The deep ruby/purple colored 2015 Mas Donis Old Vines is billed as a poor man's Priorat from Importer Eric Solomon, and I certainly can’t disagree with him. Blackberries, blueberries, peppery, hints of violets and some minerality all emerge from this juicy, ripe, sexy red that's an undeniable joy to drink. The wine is a blend of 85% Garnacha and 15% Syrah, brought up all in concrete tanks.
Rated 92/100 Jeb Dunnuck

2015 Castano Solanera Vinas Viejas....$13.99
Another project between Eric Solomon and Jean-Marc Lafage, the 2015 Solanera Vinas Viejas is fresh and lively, with ripe, sexy notes of blueberry and blackberry fruits intermixed with more subtle notes of violets, graphite and white pepper. Possessing full-bodied richness, a seamless texture, and gorgeous purity of fruit, it’s another terrific vintage for this cuvée that’s ideal for drinking over the coming 2-4 years. The blend is 2014 is 65% Monastrell, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 15% Garnacha, all aged 10 months in 80% French and 20% American oak.
Rated 92/100 Jeb Dunnuck

The revamped 2015 has a completely different label that only keeps the "viñas viejas" moniker. In this wine, from the joint venture with U.S. importer Eric Solomon that started in 1999, they used part of full clusters and sourced the grapes from Casa Marta, a nine-hectare, head-pruned, dry-farmed plot on very stony soils in the north of Yecla at the foot of the Mount Arabí. It fermented in concrete vats and open-top barrels and matured in barrique, each variety separately, for some ten months, after which it was blended and bottled. This is the vintage of the big change in this wine, where, as with the majority of its siblings, there is better balance and more integrated oak, more freshness and better balance. The nose is quite captivating, especially after some time in the glass, when it starts developing some floral aromas, perfect ripeness, no warmth or alcohol and a powerful, yet terribly balanced palate with concentration and elegance, fine-grained tannins and clean, focused flavors. This is my favorite Solanera to date. 60,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2017.
Rated 92/100 Wine Advocate




2015 Mas Alta Black Slate La Vilella Alta Priorat....$19.99
Part of the Black Slate label that focused on the different villages of Priorat, the 2015 Black Slate La Vilella Alta is a blend of 39% Cariñena, 23% Garnacha, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Syrah and Merlot that spent 14 months in 30% new French oak, with a good portion of the blend brought up all in concrete. Incredible notes of blackcurrants, wood smoke, iris flowers, chocolate, and obvious minerality all emerge from this full-bodied, beautifully pure, elegant red that knocks it out of the park on the value front. You just don’t find this level of quality at this price point anywhere in the wine world today. There’s roughly 2,400 cases and readers should not miss this sensational wine.
Rated 94/100 Jeb Dunnuck


2015 Mas Alta Artigas Priorat....$26.99
From one of the top estates in the region, the 2015 Artigas is a brilliant Priorat based on 60% Garnacha, 30% Cariñena and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon that spent 16 months in in 25% new French oak. It offers a full-bodied, ripe, yet elegant and weightless style as well as perfumed notes of black raspberries, blackberries, cracked black pepper, and earth. It has terrific intensity, yet again, stays elegant and nuanced. It’s going to keep for a decade or more and is a seriously good bottle of wine.
Rated 94/100 Jeb Dunnuck