For L'Ermita, the 1994 is the current vintage in the marketplace; quantities are absurdly small. The color is a saturated inky/purple, and the soaring nose provides thrilling levels of sweet blackberry and cherry liqueur-like fruit. In spite of being full-bodied, massive, and huge, it manages to not taste heavy despite its gargantuan proportions of fruit, glycerin, tannin, and extract. This chewy, glycerin-imbued, phenomenally intense wines possesses all the component parts necessary to become a modern-day legend. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2020. Importer: The Rare Wine Co., Sonoma, CA; tel. (800) 999-4342.

Rich yet polished, this mouthfilling red adds the chocolate and coffee flavors of new-oak aging to the region's ripe, rich flavors of raspberries and plums. Already harmonious, but should expand and soften starting around 2000. 450 cases made.??–TM??Region: Spain / Priorat Select to Add

Saturated ruby. Flamboyant aromas of black raspberry, smoked meat, soy sauce and smoky oak; roasted but not at all over the top. Huge, sweet and sappy, with the roasted ripeness repeating in the mouth. Superripe-verging-on-unctuous yet amazingly vibrant, thanks to chewy buffering extract. Has a huge structure for long life in bottle, but Palacios says this is even less evolved than the '95. This was long, lush and fresh after 24 hours in the recorked bottle. Should develop for years but is a knockout right now.