I had the opportunity to drink the 2004 vintage of Onix this weekend and I was very impressed. Typically wines from Priorato are very expensive (and good), but this wine was only $10! I had ordered the 2005 vintage but there were some delivery problems to my local store, so they substituted the 2004 vintage until the order could come in. If the 2005 is anything close to the 2004, I won't be disappointed!
If you happen to pick up a bottle, give it about 2-hours to open up. You'll be greeted with dense berry fruit, balanced acid and mellow tannins. The 2004 vintage was given an 87 by Stephen Tanzer and the 2005 a 90 by the Robert Parker. This is an excellent buy if you can find it in your local store. If not, go online like I do!
A little information on Priorato from Wine.com:
Priorat(pree-ohr-aht)
The Catalans call it Priorat, most others in Spain say Priorato - however you choose to pronounce it, it's easy to see it has been an up-and-coming region for Spain, sparking envy among collectors. The region has become something of a cult wine producer, creating wines that cost up to 5 times that of a quality Rioja. The region has a special soil, called llicorella made of a brown slate mixed together with rocks. Mountains surround the area and the vines are tended by hand.
Notable FactsThe red wines here are based on Garnacha, and produce inky wine with intense fruit flavors of blackberry and plums, not to mention a required minimum of 13.5% alcohol. The secondary grape of the region is Carinena (Carignan in France). This grape has lost favor in most parts of the world due to its rustic nature, but here in Priorat it's a welcome structural addition to the Garnacha based wines.
The Catalans call it Priorat, most others in Spain say Priorato - however you choose to pronounce it, it's easy to see it has been an up-and-coming region for Spain, sparking envy among collectors. The region has become something of a cult wine producer, creating wines that cost up to 5 times that of a quality Rioja. The region has a special soil, called llicorella made of a brown slate mixed together with rocks. Mountains surround the area and the vines are tended by hand.
Notable FactsThe red wines here are based on Garnacha, and produce inky wine with intense fruit flavors of blackberry and plums, not to mention a required minimum of 13.5% alcohol. The secondary grape of the region is Carinena (Carignan in France). This grape has lost favor in most parts of the world due to its rustic nature, but here in Priorat it's a welcome structural addition to the Garnacha based wines.
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