I was browsing the shelves at my go-to wine store the other day and noticed some wines that had been marked down. Among the close-outs was Falset-Marca "Etim" Montsant 2002. Montsant is around the corner from Priorat in Spain, and is a great source for bargain big reds.
I vaguely remembered tasting that wine at some point in the past, but not being wowed by it. Since it was marked down from $12 to $8, I figured it was worth another look.
Damn right it was.
It's funny how sitting around a warehouse in less than perfect conditions can do wonders for a wine. This blend of carignan, garnacha, tempranillo and syrah is drinking like a $20-$30 bottle of Priorat. It's big and rich, but not overdone with notes of blackberry, cherry, anise, leather and mint.
I happened to run across this older blog post about it. It confirmed what I already suspected; the first time I tasted it, it needed some more age. Luckily, no one bought it up in the meantime.
Their loss is my gain.
