Familia Torres Mas de la Rosa Vinyes Velles 2020

Mas de la Rosa is one of the wines in Familia Torres's Anthology collection, made to express a single distinctive site in Priorat, in Catalonia. The wine comes from old Cariñena and Garnacha vines, whose low yields concentrate the fruit and give depth and structure. Priorat's defining feature is its soil, a slate and quartzite bedrock known locally as llicorella, which reflects heat, forces the roots deep in search of water and lends the wines their firm structure and signature mineral, faintly smoky character. The steep terraced vineyards and hot, dry climate produce small, intense berries. The wine is aged sixteen months in large oak foudres, which soften the tannins through slow oxygen exchange while letting the site speak rather than the wood. The colour is deep and dark, with aromas of ripe plum and red berries, black pepper, liquorice and wild herbs over a smoky, stony minerality. The palate is full bodied and structured, with firm, ripe tannins, good freshness and a long, savoury, mineral finish. This is a wine with cellaring potential. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees, decanted, with rich roasted and braised meats.