Priorat MORLANDA 1998 14% Alc. $30

I tried this last summer and was a little shocked by its lightweight body. Aromatically unobjectionable, I still punished it for a certain lack of typicity that nonetheless made it not just more approachable but also foodfriendly. With those memories in mind I retried this for opinion and must say it was even more convincing now. With a very similar TN as last summer:

"Sweetish complex nose giving away mineral, jammy black fruit (cherries) with a hint of quince and spice. A touch of chocolate too. In the mouth, however, it is slightly disappointing, unexpectedly medium-bodied for the region (the fleshy nose promises more body than is actually found there) though the 14% alcohol does not seem unbalanced. Yes, some tannin may need to resolve, but overall my impression the first night was that it was a very pleasant bottle of Priorat, perhaps on the lighter end, which in a way compromises typicity. Rating is indeed around 88-89."

I would easily upgrade it to 89-90 as the lighter weight does not detract from the impressively round warm nose. In a previous exchange at WS board with Marc and Winetex concerning also the 1999 vintage, the answer to this lightness turned out to be the fact that the vineyards are not planted in the steep costers but on flat land.