I’ve always made it a point to search out the best QPR (quality-price-ratio) wines I can find, both for my customers and for my own personal consumption, and frankly, they continue to become fewer and more far between in availability. It seems as though prices continue to rise without a corresponding increase in quality, and so one has to be ever vigilant in locating those special bargains that offer exceptional value for relatively few dollars. Tonight, I had the pleasure to enjoy one of the finest bargains I’ve run into in a long time, and in truth, I’m probably a little late picking up on it, but better late than never, as the old cliché goes.
Celler de Capcanes Mas Donis Barrica 2004 is from the Eric Solomon/European Cellars stable of Spanish wines, and is, quite simply, brilliant for only $10.37 per bottle. It offers deep, dark color and rich, ripe (but not over-ripe) plum and cherry flavors and aromas, with solid depth and a soft, smooth, almost opulent texture in the mouth. Happily, this is not a manipulated mess (what some people would refer to as “spoofalated”) like more than a few of the highly rated reds coming out of Spain these days, and you might want to pick up a few bottles or even a case of this before I do, because it’s going to be our house red for at least the next month or so. It pairs very nicely indeed with grilled/smoked leg o’ lamb.
I just can't say enough about this little beauty, but if you need a second opinion, here’s what the Wine Advocate’s Jay Miller had to say about it last February:
Celler de Capcanes Mas Donis Barrica 2004, 750 ml: 90 Pts., Jay Miller/Wine Advocate. The 2004 Mas Donis Barrica is 85% Garnacha from 80+-year-old vines and 15% Syrah aged for 8 months in French and American oak. Opaque purple, it has a wonderfully expressive nose of spice box, pencil lead, pepper, blueberry, and blackberry liqueur. On the palate the wine is full-bodied with layers of ripe, spicy black fruits, nicely concealed tannins, and a long, pure finish. It is an outstanding value for drinking now and over the next 4-6 years.
Cheers,
The Winebuys Guy
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