1999 Alvaro Palacios L'Ermita Priorat

Alvaro Palacios' huge but creamy and refined L'Ermita, from mostly Garnacha vines, some more than a century old, is one of Spain's true cult wines. His far less expensive Finca Dofí -- from a single-estate vineyard planted to 60% Garnacha, with the remainder Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, and Carinena -- is just a step behind L'Ermita in quality, and Les Terrasses makes for an excellent and very reasonably priced introduction to Priorat wine.

Alvaro Palacios' huge but creamy and refined L'Ermita, from mostly Garnacha vines, some more than a century old, is one of Spain's true cult wines. His far less expensive Finca Dofí -- from a single-estate vineyard planted to 60% Garnacha, with the remainder Cabernet Sauvignon, Me... more