Mas d’en Gil Bellmunt 2022

Mas d'en Gil Bellmunt is a Garnacha and Carignan red from D.O.Q. Priorat in Catalonia, where the winery's stated aim is to bottle the land. Priorat's character is driven by its soil, the famous licorella, a dark slate and quartzite schist that forces the roots deep in search of water and yields tiny, concentrated berries, lending the wines their mineral, smoky signature. The vineyards sit on steep terraces in a hot, dry climate, though altitude and cool nights preserve freshness. Garnacha brings ripe red fruit and warmth, while Carignan adds acidity, colour and grip. Bellmunt is made in a more fruit forward register than many Priorat reds, with ten months in a range of barrels so that slow oxygen exchange rounds the tannins and integrates the wood while keeping the focus on the fruit and the site. The colour is intense cherry red. The nose leads with ripe cherry, plum and red berries over liquorice, smoke and a savoury, peppery edge, and the palate is full at fifteen degrees of alcohol, the firm slate driven tannins and bright acidity holding the ripe fruit in balance through a long, mineral finish. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees, decanted ahead. It calls for rich red meat.