Clos Dominic Vinyes Baixes 2021

Clos Dominic is a small Priorat project set up in 2002 by Dominic Bairaguet and Paco Castillo in Porrera, at the heart of the D.O.Q. Priorat, where the family grows its own vines and makes its own wines. Vinyes Baixes is a barrel-aged red blending Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carignan, Garnacha and Picapoll Negre. Priorat's signature is its llicorella soil, a fractured slate that forces the roots deep in search of water and lends the wines their concentration and mineral, stony character. The warm Mediterranean climate ripens the fruit fully, while the steep terraced slopes and low yields keep it intense. The blend is aged for 12 months in French oak, which softens the firm tannins and adds spice and a savoury depth through slow oxygen exchange. The colour is deep and near opaque, and the nose is dark and complex, with ripe plum and black cherry lifted by dark chocolate, black pepper, smoke and liquorice over a slate-like minerality. The palate is full and structured at 14.5% alcohol, with concentrated dark fruit, firm ripe tannins and a long mineral, spiced finish that rewards cellaring. Serve at 16 to 18C, decanted, with grilled red meat, roast lamb or game.