Les Manyes 2021

Les Manyes is a single-variety Grenache from Terroir al Limit, made in the small village of Torroja in the D.O.Q. Priorat in Catalonia. The grapes come from fifty-year-old Grenache vines, farmed biodynamically under a non-interventionist philosophy that aims to show the site as clearly as possible. The wine ages for eighteen months in large French oak foudres, whose size means a low ratio of wood to wine and so a gentle, slow maturation that frames the fruit rather than flavouring it with oak. After ageing it is bottled by gravity, without fining or filtering, which keeps texture and aromatic detail intact. Priorat is known for its slate, but this style is deliberately light and high toned rather than powerful. The wine is pale in colour and strongly perfumed, with red berries, fresh cherry, rose and dried herbs over a fine, savoury, mineral base. The palate is light to medium bodied, with bright acidity, fine-grained tannins and a long, lifted finish. Production is very limited. Serve cool, around 14 to 16 degrees, in a large glass, decanting briefly. It suits poultry, game birds and mushroom dishes.