Les Terrasses Priorat 2023

Les Terrasses is a Priorat red made by Álvaro Palacios at Gratallops, blending Garnacha and Cariñena with a small portion of local white grapes. The fruit is drawn from nine Priorat municipalities, including Gratallops, Porrera, Torroja and Scala Dei, from vines between 62 and 92 years old farmed organically. The defining feature here is the soil, the slate and quartzite licorella that gives Priorat its name and character. These steeply terraced, low-yielding hillsides force the roots deep through the rock for water, producing tiny, concentrated berries and the wine's signature mineral, smoky grip. The combination of old vines, poor slate soils and the warm, sheltered Priorat climate is what builds the intensity and structure of these reds. The wine ages twelve months in French oak, rounding the tannins and adding a fine spice and toast frame over the fruit. It pours a deep, dark red and shows black and red fruit, plum and blackberry, with crushed herbs, pepper, liquorice and a clear stony minerality. The palate is full and firmly structured with a long, savoury finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees, decanted an hour ahead. Good with roast lamb and grilled beef.