Álvaro Palacios is one of a group of winemakers credited with putting Priorat back on the viticultural map. After studying winemaking in Bordeaux and a subsequent stint working at Château Petrus, Álvaro decided not to return to his family winery in Rioja. Instead, he followed a group of intrepid winemakers, including René Barbier, to the rugged and forgotten region of Priorat. Nowadays, Álvaro makes some of the most highly regarded and sought-after wines in the region. The early use of international varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon is eschewed in favour of local varieties. The focus now is very much on Garnacha and Cariñena (locally known as Samsó), both much better suited to expressing the characteristics of this rugged terroir and its licorella soils. Álvaro's Priorat wines are elegant, always profoundly layered, mineral, and expressive.
Black plum colour. Aromas of licorice, currants and blackberries.Supple and velvety on the attack, the wine offers a gorgeous ripe blueberry, fig, and blackcurrant fruit accented by notes of dark roasted coffee beans and dark chocolate. Fine tannins emerge on the wine’s back-palate. Long, spicy, licorice-tinged finish.
James Suckling 92pts
Vibrant youthful and brambly nose that is very fruitexpressive, with lots of red cherries, pomegranate, potpourri and hints of oyster-shell minerality and coffee that extend to a crunchy, medium-bodied palate,
framed by juicy, fresh tannins. Bright, silky and unassumingly approachable now. Drink through to 2025.