Capcanes Lasandal 2005

This is a real go to wine, its great drinking shows real character and doesn't break the bank.  The 2005 is the best to date and has a great mix of flavours and is just serious enough for your wine geek mates to be impressed, but not too serious or expensive for the non-wine geek to get into. 

Coffee, earthy raspberry, a touch of mint, hot rocks. Smooth and supple in the mouth, balanced and savoury with a tart fruit finish. Good concentration. Sour cherries and raspberries on the palate with sage and other mountain herbs and roasted meat juices. Some sappy plums and white pepper from the syrah. You can almost taste the hot summer days in the quality of the fruit. Light dusty tannins show up on the finish. A joy to drink. 91 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition RRP: $35 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.cellercapcanes.com

Other Vintages: 2000, 2004

Mas Donis Tinto 2006

I couldn't wait for the screwcapped version of this wine, so I've had a crack at the cork version for now.  I'll have a look at both in the next couple of week.

This is the entry level red wine from Capcanes, made from mostly Garnarcha with a dollop of  syrah from the lower, stoney soils of Montsant.   A quick dunk in american and french oak for 3 month actually works quite well for this wine.

Classic nose of raspberries and raspberry leaf with some rocky minerals and a touch of herbs and pepper.  Well balanced with some fluffy tannins and good acid on the finish.  Highly drinkable.  The palate shows bright shiny fruit, mostly raspberry with pepper and spice.  Perfect with food, but great just on its own.  A good way to look at a quality garnarcha at a low price.  89 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Cost: $23 Closure: Syth Cork

Web: www.cellercapcanes.com

Capçanes Mas Donis Rosat 2006

In addition to a reading about a really good rose, this is a tale of two alternative closures: synthetic cork and screwcap.  I had the opportunity to taste this wine under both closures recently and the results were very interesting.  I have a bottle of the tinto for a similar test next month.

A bit about the wine first.  Its made from 80% Garnarcha with equal parts Syrah and Merlot grown in the stony soils of the lower areas of Montsant.  The wine has 10 hours of skin contact and is left in stainless steel for 4 months before bottling.  The result is a winey rose with a brilliant pink colour.

Cork: very aromatic with strawberries and raspberries followed by some subtle mountain herbs and rocks.  In the mouth there is excellent balance with a glycerol feel.  Dry and long.  The palate mimics the nose for the most part but adds some pepper and apple notes.  89 Pts. 

Screwcap: This really shows off the great fruit used this wine.  As above for the most part but a step up in all respects.  More alive and vigorous on the palate, its fresher and direct with great fruit impact. Also shows a mineral aspect on the palate.  The kind of wine you could drink by the jug on a warm day. Regardless of what you think about screwcap for red wine, its perfect for this style. 91 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Cost: $23 Closure: Syth Cork/Screwcap

Web: www.cellercapcanes.com

Capcanes Lasendal 2004

I've always like this wine, but the 2004 is something else.  Bursting with flavour and a good lick of acid.  Garnacha with 15% Syrah thats aged in french and american oak for 10 months.  Its very reasonably priced for what it is too.

This wine jumps out of the bottle with a great nose of blackberry and dark cherry, a bit of smoke, orange blossom and woody herbs. A tonne of tart fruits: blackberry, dark cherry and plum.  Add to this a mix of minerals, earth and some sage. Tannins don't stand out at the moment, well integrated and balanced.  Don't worry about cellaring, you could of course, but buy a few to drink now.  90 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acuisition RRP: $35 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.cellercapcanes.com

Laurona Montsant 2002

Here is a handy wine from Montsant, the area sournding Priorat.  This estate is a joint venture between Christopher Cannan of Europvin and  René Barbier of Clos Mogador.  Like many wines in the region, it is made from a host of different grapes, but mostly gararcha: 30% Garnarcha, 30% Carinena, 15% Syrah, 15% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Ageing is done is 500 Litre French oak barrells for 12 months.

A bit shy on the nose, some crushed raspberries and blackberry with a mix of herbs, spices and wild flowers.  Smooth and fresh thanks to a burst of acid.  There are some fleshy tannins that give the wine a subtle texture.  On the palate its raspberry all the way, with some pepper and spice that adds complexity.  This would go very well with a good feed of lamb chops.  89 Pts.

Source: Importer Sample Price: Around $35 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.europvin.com 

Importer: Negociants Australia

Capcanes Lasendal 2000

Another impressive co-op producer making very good, modern wines. These guys represent about 120 growers from Montsant.  D.O. Montsant is a "doughnut" that rings around the Prioat region.  From good producers the wines of Montsant are very much like those from it's more well known neighbour: lots of mineral notes, good concentration and is made from varieties like Grenacha and Syrah.  This one is 85% Granacha and 15% Syrah that sees 10 months oak in a mix of French and American oak. 

This isn't the current release, 2003 is around now with the 2004 out later in the year.  I was a bit worried the fruit might have faded, but I found plenty to like in this bottle.

The nose is really appealing, dark plum fruit with a smokiness to it.  There is a bit of rose oil and some light herbs in there as well.  Loads of savoury fruit in the mouth, plum and raspberry.  Minerals, earth, and preserved lemon peel add some nice complexity. Warm tannins on the finish and a good acid profile.  Very enjoyable. 88 Pts.

Source: Retail RRP: $35 Closure: Cork

Web: www.cellercapcanes.com