Gratallops 2022

Gratallops is the village wine, or Vi de Vila, of Alvaro Palacios in D.O.Q. Priorat, Catalonia. It is an organic blend led by Garnacha with Samso, the local name for Carinena, drawn from eleven plots around the village of Gratallops in Tarragona, among them Ermites, Torrent and Manyetes. The defining feature is the soil: llicorella, the broken slate of Priorat, which forces vine roots deep, drains hard and gives these wines their hallmark minerality and grip. The vines are aged between fifteen and seventy years, with the oldest yielding tiny crops of intense fruit, and the steep terraced sites and hot dry climate concentrate the wine while the cool nights hold its freshness. Ageing runs to eighteen months in French oak, where fine grained wood and slow oxygen exchange firm the tannins and add measured spice and toast in support of the fruit. The colour is deep. The nose shows red and dark berry fruit over earthy, herbal and peppery notes with a smoky, stony edge. The palate is full, mineral and structured, with firm tannins and a long, savoury finish. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees and decant. A wine for roast lamb and grilled red meat.