Today’s La Perla del Priorat 2006 Noster Templari took our recent tasting panel by storm. This wine is, quite simply, incredible.

If you’ve never tasted DOQ Spanish Priorat, today’s powerful, budget-priced Templari will thrill you with its structure, complexity and exotic flavors. This wine shows integration of earth, fruit and subtle spice, showing layer upon layer of flavor and aroma. As the wine opens, it really springs to life, delivering even more complexity. Cabernet drinkers, take note! This blend (of 60% Grenache, 25% Carignan, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Syrah) shows the same sort of structure and concentration as a higher-end Napa Cabernet Sauvignon.

Today’s winery was founded in the 15th century, by Carthusian monks of Scala Dei. Today, the winery respects the traditions and history of the land and winemaking techniques. Priorat is one of the driest regions of Spain, with an average rainfall of around 11 inches per year. Dry farming and limited rainfall creates smaller berries deliver deep intensity. Planted in one of Priorat’s oldest vineyards, today’s wine was born of vines that are up to 60 years old.

Priorat is a Catalan Denominació d’Origen Qualificada (DOQ) in Catalan for wines produced in the Priorat county to the south-west of Catalonia. The DOQ covers 11 municipalities. It primarily produces powerful red wines, which came to international attention in the 1990s. The area is characterized by its unique terroir of black slate and quartz soil known as llicorella. Priorat is one of only two wine regions in Spain to qualify as DOC, the highest qualification level for a wine region according to Spanish wine regulations, alongside Rioja DOC.

Enjoy today’s beautifully balanced - and beautifully priced - La Perla del Priorat 2006 Noster Templari with our boldest recommendation.