Tiny and entirely composed of craggy, jagged and deeply terraced vineyards, Priorat is a Catalan wine-producing region that was virtually abandoned until the early 1990s. This Spanish wine’s renaissance came with the arrival of one man, René Barbier, who recognized the region’s forgotten potential. He banded with five friends to create five “Clos” in the village of Gratallops. Their aim was to revive some of Priorat’s ancient Carignan vines, as well as plant new—mainly French—varieties. These winemakers were technically skilled, well-trained and locally inspired; not surprisingly their results were a far cry from the few rustic and overly fermented wines already produced.
This movement escalated Priorat’s popularity for a few reasons. Its new wines were modern and made with well-recognized varieties, namely old Carignan and Grenache blended with Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. When the demand arrived, scarcity commanded higher prices and as the region discovered its new acclaim, investors came running from near and far. Within ten years, the area under vine practically doubled.
Priorat’s steep slopes of licorella (brown and black slate) and quartzite soils, protection from the cold winds of the Siera de Monstant and a lack of water, leading to incredibly low vine yields, all work together to make the region’s wines unique. While similar blends could and are produced elsewhere, the mineral essence and unprecedented concentration of a Priorat wine is unmistakable.
Recently named the 2015 “Man of the Year” by Decanter Magazine, Alvaro Palacios is an important figure in the wine industry. This prestigious title is awarded to people who have made an exceptional contribution to the universe of wine.
The son of the owners of Rioja’s Palacios Remondo, Alvaro Palacios spent his early 20’s working and studying winemaking outside of Spain. His experience abroad – particularly in Bordeaux – instilled in him a deep passion for great wines and led him to return to Spain with the ambition to make wines that could be world-class. To achieve this dream, Palacios was drawn to the historic hillsides of slate soil and its traditional grape varieties. Now widely considered to be among the more important new Spanish wineries in a generation, Alvaro Palacios embodies the spirit of “The New Spain.”
A juicy red, offering raspberry ganache and red licorice flavors, scented of dried sage and milled white pepper and rich hints of smoke and toast. This concentrated, medium- to full-bodied version remains fresh and focused, thanks to the tang of orange peel acidity and fine, firm tannins. The regional 2019 Les Terrasses Velles Vinyes was produced with a blend of grapes from 80 plots in eight villages from Priorat, 82% Garnacha with 17% Carignan, and 1% white grape blend, a year unusually high in Garnacha and unusually low in Carignan that suffered a lot from the heat. The destemmed and lightly crushed grapes fermented in concrete and oak vats with indigenous yeasts, and the wine matured in French oak barrels for 12 months.