2009 La Creu Alta
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On a whole other level, the spectacular 2009 Bodegas Mas Alta Priorat La Creu Alta could be the wine of the vintage. A blend of 60% Carignan (from 100-year-old vines and schist soils) and 40% Grenache (80-year-old vines) that was aged for 18 months in 80% new French oak, it delivers a thrilling array of blackberry liqueur, licorice, searing minerality, graphite, and assorted wild herbs on the nose. Intense, powerful, and exceedingly rich, this nevertheless remains graceful and elegant on the palate, with a voluptuous, seamless texture, incredible purity of fruit, and a blockbuster finish. No doubt this is a big wine, but it is just gorgeously put together and hard to fault. It’s a thrill ride of a drink now, yet should evolve gracefully for 12-15 years.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Jay S Miller, Wine Advocate
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The 2009 La Creu Alta seems more Carignan-driven with aromas of liquid minerals, exotic spices, violets, incense, and black plum. It displays a vibrant acid underpinning balanced by plush layers of fruit, incipient complexity, and a very long finish. Its drinking window will extend from 2015 to 2029, perhaps longer. Bodegas Mas Alta, based in the Priorat village of Vilella Alta, is a partnership of five Belgian families. They have hired the duo of Frenchmen Michel Tardieu and Philippe Cambie (of Rhone Valley renown) as consultants. Since 1999 they have planted 77 acres of vines, mostly on slate at altitude. The top cuvees are made from old-vine fruit purchased from local growers. The red wines begin with the value-priced Els Pics bottling made from younger vines with 45% of the fruit coming from valley floors. Both the 2008 and 2009 vintages are blends of 60% Grenache, 35% Carignan, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon with 12 months of aging in seasoned French oak. The Artigas cuvee is made up of 60% Grenache, 35% Carignan, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 16 months in 35% new French oak. Most of the fruit is sourced from Priorat’s steep slopes. The Cirerets cuvee is made up of 60% Grenache and 40% Carignan, all from steep slopes in llicorella slate. The Carignan portion comes from vines ranging in age from 40-100 years. The wine is aged in 30% new French oak for 18 months. The La Basseta cuvee is a blend of 40% Grenache, 40% Carignan, and 20% Syrah all from steep slopes and aged for 16 months in 60% new French oak. The flagship cuvee is La Creu Alta, a blend of 55% Carignan and 45% Grenache from old vines and steep hillsides planted in llicorella slate made only in top vintages. The wine is aged for 18 months in 80% new French oak. Importer: Bodegas Mas Alta is in the process of changing importers.