2021 Alvaro Palacios Les Terrasses Velles Vinyes Priorat

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Description

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The Les Terrasses Velles Vinyes was produced from a blend of grapes from 80 plots in eight villages of Priorat, 82% Garnacha with 17% Cariñena and 1% white grapes (NOTE from: 60 - to 90 year old vines) actively pruned so that only 10 hectoliters per hectare are harvested. Aged in 20% new oak and more year old old barrels. The wine has a well-defined, lush bouquet of crème de cassis, blueberries and violets that smell from the glass. The palate is full-bodied with a full of ripe blackberries, spicebox, white pepper and a touch of fennel. Subtle and Full. It offers great purity on the finish. 94/100 Parker

Alvaro Palacios was barely 40 when he seemed to have achieved everything. Descended from a family of winegrowers who owned the Bodegas Palacios Ramondo, he learned the trade in his early twenties with Christian Moueix in the castles of Petrus and Trotanoy. He then followed the Catalan RenƩ Barbier in Priorato. Deeply impressed by the old soils and their qualitative potential, he decided to develop his own vineyard in this God-forsaken hole, 135 km southwest of Barcelona. In Palacios' own words, the general belief was that "the yields were too low, the land was unworkable and required a lot of manual labour" and that the chances of profitability were slim. The sequel proved the sceptics wrong.

The first vintage, namely the Ermita 1993, was immediately mentioned in the club of the "superstars" of Spanish wines. This cuvƩe, composed of 80 to 90% Grenache Vieilles Vignes balanced by Cabernet Sauvignon and Carignan Vieiles Vignes, has provoked exceptional reactions in Spain and the rest of the world. The ultra-modern company of Alvaro Palacios, which dominates the village of Gratallops from the top of the hill, testifies to his decisive influence and his continuous efforts to revolutionize the Spanish wine industry.

Alvaro Palacios, the architect of the success of the Ermita, summarizes with conviction: "The philosophy behind the vinification is to express the character of the terroir with the greatest transparency and the greatest purity" A unique system of alignment of the vines, tapered in height, allows this steep, terraced vineyard to be worked with the help of mules. The grapes are picked by hand. The maceration lasts 25 days and the fermentation takes place in barrels with "remontage" * Since 1999, the fermentation takes place in wooden barrels. The clarification is done by egg white without filtration. The wine then matures for 16 to 18 months in new French oak barrels.

* "remontage is pumping the fermenting juice back to the top, on top of the solid mass (Chapeau de Marc), in order to obtain a better extraction."

Specifications

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Type of Wine Red
Country Spain
Region Catalunya
Appellation Priorat (Appellation)
Winery Alvaro Palacios
Grape Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Garnacha, Syrah-Shiraz
Biological certified No
Natural wine No
Vegan No
Vintage 2021
Drinking as of 2024
Drinking till 2032
Alcohol % 14.5
Alcohol free/low No
Content 0.75 ltr
Oak aging Yes
Sparkling No
Dessert wine No
Closure Cork
Promotion Tier Price
Parker rating 96
James Suckling rating 93
Tasting Profiles Aards, Boers, Complex, Donker fruit, Droog, Houtgerijpt, Krachtig, Kruidig, Tannines, Vol
Drink moments Indruk maken, Lekker luxe, Open haard

Professional Reviews

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Parker

96

No written review available.

James Suckling

93

Wijnhuis

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In the late eighties, Alvaro met RenƩ Barbier, one of the rediscoverers and 'godfathers' of the Priorat. This tipped him to take a look at the forgotten wine region. Alvaro found vineyards here with very old vines. He knew immediately that he had discovered the area to be able to make absolute top wines. In 1989 he bought his first Priorat vineyard 'Finca Dofi' and in 1993 L'Ermita, a vineyard that is now considered one of the very best of the entire Priorat and is named after the chapel at the top of the vineyard.

With wines such as Finca Dofi and the now legendary L'Ermita he gained world fame and put the Priorat on the map as a wine region. All vineyards are processed on the basis of biological and / or dynamic principles to obtain the highest possible quality grapes and wine with the most natural character. Alvaro Palacios is barely 40 when he seems to have accomplished everything. Coming from a family of winegrowers - owners of the Bodegas Palacios Ramondo - as a young man in his twenties he learned the trade with Christian Moueix in the castles of Petrus and Trotanoy. Then he followed the catalan RenƩ Barbier in Priorato. Deeply impressed by ancient land and their qualitative potential, he decides to mine his own vineyard in this God-forsaken hole, 135 km south-west of Barcelona. According to Palacios' own words, the general belief is that "the yield is too low, the land is unworkable and requires a lot of manual labor" and that the chance of profitability is small. The sequel shows that the skeptics were wrong. The first millƩsime, namely the Ermita 1993, was immediately mentioned in the "superstars" club of Spanish wines. This cuvƩe, consisting of 80 to 90% Grenache Vieilles Vignes balanced by Cabernet Sauvignon and Carignan Vieiles Vignes, has provoked exceptional reactions in Spain but also in the rest of the world. The ultra-modern company of Alvaro Palacios, dominating the village of Gratallops from the top of the hill, testifies to its decisive influence and ongoing efforts to revolutionize the Spanish wine industry. Alvaro Palacios, the architect of the success of the Ermita, summarizes with conviction: "The philosophy behind the vinification involves expressing the character of the terroir with the greatest transparency and purity."

The authoritative British wine magazine Decanter has named Alvaro Palacios Winemaker of the Year 2015. He is honored for his efforts to put Spain on the map in general and the regions of Bierzo and Priorat in particular worldwide. Palacios has illustrious predecessors. Last year, the brothers Perrin won from Chateau de Beaucastel, for which the honor went to Angelo Gaja, Robert Mondavi and the late Serge Hochar.

At Grandcruwijnen.nl you will find an extensive selection of the wines of Alvaro Palacios such as his absolute cult wine the L'Ermita and the Dofi, but we can certainly also recommend the wines that are a lot friendlier in price such as the Ɓlvaro Palacios Camins del Priorat. Click here for an overview of the wines of Alvaro Palacios

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