Birthday Nov 7 tasting quick notes plus Nov 8 Tirant 2001 Rotllan Torra spectacular

On November 7 celebrated Bob's birthday with 3 Super Tuscans that were all superb, esp the 1997 100% merlot Montiano Falesco and the 2000 Solengo

1996 Vigna d'Alceo Castello dei Rampolla 92 parker

1997 Montiano Falesco 95 parker

2000 Solengo Argiano 95 parker

I couldn't take contemporaneous notes on the above but i will say the Montiano had all the great cherry fruit and roundness of a Pomerol, totally pleasure; and the Solengo which was cab merlot and syrah was also round seamless and very complex and silky.

Then opened another purchase from Hart Davis Hart, 2001 Rotllan Torra Tirant Priorat (Parker 96-98) which was superb tonight. Very full of licorice, blueberry, blackberry, road tar, a figgy ripeness with a bit of vanillla, cedar and spring woods too. In short everything from the grapes which are grenache, Cab sauv, carignan *25% each, plus merlot 10%, syrah 15%. the acid and tannin are apparent only on swallowing whereupon they carry a long spicy licorice berry finish. this is what Priorat is all about. It is better than any of the 3 others above but not hugely better than the Montiano or Solengo, and possibly the latter has the potential to get even better. I can imagine the Tirant getting better with another year, developing more bottle bouquet, but that's about it for development and it'll certainly hold for 6-8 more years after that, till maybe 2018.

Lovely birthday party, wonderful to have everyone gathering here in Chapel Hill including Max and Emily, Emily's friends Taylor and Sarah and Jesse, Clay and Inge, Connie, Hans, Dub, Libby, Wib, Charlotte, Bob (Laurie in Guatemala), John, Lucy. Great friends all.

Here's Parker on Tirant: 96-98 points reviewed in 2004

A prodigious effort, the 2001 Tirant is a 9,000-bottle cuvee made from 30% Grenache (90-100 years old), 25% Carignan (90-100 years old), 25% young vine Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah, and 10% Merlot. Fermented in large oak foudres and aged 12 months in new French oak, it will be bottled with neither fining nor filtration. Inky/purple-colored to the rim, it boasts a spectacular bouquet of blueberries, blackberries, and the region’s classic crushed stone minerality. This full-throttle yet remarkably elegant 2001 possesses tremendous intensity and texture as well as layers of flavor, but comes across as not over the top, overripe, or overly heavy. The 60-second finish reveals more noticeable tannin than the other cuvees. Give it 1-2 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 10-15. The 2001 Tirant is indeed a special wine.

Jordi Rotllan Torra was one of the pioneers of Priorat having founded this small estate in 1984, long before this now fashionable wine region became world renowned.