What are our plans for reopening? You'll have to read through the wine offer first! Hey, I've got to pay the bills...

Mas d'en Compte Black Slate Gratallops Priorat 2018

Regularly $24.99

Sale $17.79 - beats best US price Online!

91 pts Wine Advocate

Priorat is a region located in the rugged mountains of northeastern Spain. Priorat exploded on the wine seen in the late 1980s, early 1990s, combining their old vines Garnacha and Carinena (Grenache and Carignan) with the unique llicorella soil to produce massive, rich, sumptuous reds. Quality… and prices… have been skyrocketing since.

Yet Priorat today is at a crossroads. With all the success, and dollars, came a certain drive towards uniformity – the region is terribly small, and in modern times, not very flourishing – so old farmers and families sought the quick buck. Duplicate the style of the most famous Priorat and don’t ask questions!

But now, there is a dilemma. “Right now Priorat is struggling. It was the king of powerful, concentrated wines, but the style seems to be slowly losing ground and interest from consumers. If you are part of a fashion, sooner or later your time will end, as all fashions come and go. And after it goes, where do you go?” poses Luis Guitierrez of the Wine Advocate.

Thanks to the famed llicorella soil, which is quick to warm and retains heat well, the region will always produce ripe, rich wines. So how does one respect the soil that made the region so famous, while considering evolving tastes?

For many, this involves replanting the “international” varieties that helped propel Priorat to glory – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. The more indigenous Garnacha, and especially Carinena, are better suited to handling the heat of the llicorella soil without achieving excessively high alcohol. Larger volume oak barrels and less use of oak in general also add to a more elegant styling. And, as producers move towards more sustainable agriculture, be it organic or biodynamic, with little use of fertilizers, winemakers are finding their grapes are able to achieve full ripeness – but again, without excessively high alcohol. Finally, many are now using indigenous, natural yeasts, which are less effective than selected yeasts, meaning they use more sugar to obtain one degree of alcohol.

Don’t be confused by all of this – Priorat is still king of rich, luscious, dense wines. But they are now achieving a balance at 14.5-15% alcohol… instead of 16.5% and beyond!

Okay… so what about this wine in particular? The Black Slate project was started by importer Eric Solomon. He has selected wineries from all over Priorat to highlight their own interpretation of the famed “Black Slate” soil – aka licorella. Celler Cecilio is located in Gratallops, in the heart of Priorat, and was the first winery registered in the D.O.Ca. It is a family estate dedicated to making and bottling wine since 1942, established and founded by Cecilio Vicent, father of the current owner and winemaker, August. When Cecilio, a native of Valencia, settled in the Priorat, he met and married into a family with many hectares of vineyards. At that time these vineyards had been neglected so Cecilio set about restoring them first selling his grapes to the local cooperative while studying winemaking. Finally in 1942 he began bottling his own wines in a small stable he renovated into a cellar which is still in operation today under the stewardship of his son August Vicent. Luckily, he is a neighbor of importer Eric Solomon, so when the opportunity to make a Black Slate from his vines arose, Eric jumped!

Simply stunning, this baby is at home with simple, hearty food, like lamb grilled simply with rosemary, salt and pepper. As the weather turns colder, this is absolutely amazing with comfort dishes – braised rabbit with olives, roast pork shoulder, braised short ribs, etc. Hmm…

“The 2018 Black Slate Gratallops, a blend of Cariñena, Garnacha and Syrah, is part of the Black Slate series produced for American importer European Cellars. The varieties fermented separately with natural yeasts, and only 20% of the volume was put in oak barrels for 15 months. It has effervescent freshness and a mixture of red and black fruit with just a spicy twist and some peachy character. There is some rusticity on the palate along with earthy tannins, giving it the profile of a classical Priorat. WA


Or reply. The wine is available now in Chapel Hill. Friday, as ordered, in Hillsborough.

So... what are our plans for reopening to foot traffic? 

Grocery stores are open... other retail stores are open... why aren't we? 

There are a myriad of issues at play, and Rich and I have discussed at great length... Rather than get into a discussion about the science behind it all, which is a touchy subject, I will boil it down to this very simple explanation.

If one of the gang tests positive for COVID, we have to close for upwards of two weeks.

Close the store. In the busiest time of the year. Closed. As in no wine being delivered or carried to people's cars. Or revenue coming in. Just closed. 

We are one of, if not the, largest non-chain independent wine retailers in the state. Yahoo! But we are small. If someone in a grocery store tests positive, they send home those working in close proximity (which is few), clean the work station and reopen the next day. If one of us tests positive, everyone has to stay home, as it is impossible for us not to be in close quarters. 

So... we are not reopening for foot traffic. Yes, my employee's (and your) health and safety is priority #1. But a close second is being able to keep them employed (and pay for my daughter's college tuition). Oh, I suppose we could just do what some other businesses have done... keep working and don't even tell your employees you are positive... send home the positive person and keep everyone else working... somehow, I don't think you want us to do that. (And if you think I am exaggerating on what others have done, you are mistaken.) I have other desperate options... closing one of the stores and bringing over non-exposed people, then hiring emergency part-timers, and... ugh, my head hurts even thinking about trying to make that work. 

We miss you. Rich misses you. Jen misses you. Tim, Lauren, Danielle, Jill, Neal, Pearl... they all miss you. Even Drew, the New Guy misses you, because we've told him great things about you. 

So call us! We have so many phone lines right now, my wallet hurts! 

Keep emailing us orders... use the website... we will take care of your every wine-related need. And you will drink a lot better than if you risk the shelves at the grocery store!

We will keep reevaluating and I will keep letting everyone know what we are thinking. 

Thank you so very much for your business. We are all very grateful to you for keeping us gainfully employed.

Cheers! (Ugh... I hate that sign off... it's so expected of a wine guy isn't it? But I did it. Sigh...)

Todd