Description
Alvaro Palacios is probably Spain’s most highly regarded winemaker staking superstar reputations in both in Priorat, Rioja and Bierzo. His L’Ermita Priorat is a perennial, multiple rated 100 point wine most vintages, and fetches about $2000 a bottle upon release if you have the wherewithal and rare opportunity to purchase. But one of the best value standouts is Palacios’ “village” blend “Les Terrasses”. This is especially true from Priorat’s warmer 2022 vintage which will be arriving this Friday, May 16th. The 2022 “Les Terrasses” is a masterful blend from a discriminating selection of 53 terraced hillside vineyards of dry farmed, low-yielding, old Grenache and Carignan bush vines.
Tasted from a sample bottle that had been open for about two hours, I can attest this wine’s forward and seductively disarming personality. Drinks so GOOD now….so beautifully crafted with ample rich, red spicy fruits, a complex earthy minerality and a balanced structure guaranteeing at least another 6-8+ years of enjoyment.
“This sleek, well-balanced red leads with a savory touch of mountain herbs, a subtle accent for flavors of ripe mulberry and black raspberry, backed by hints of iron, paprika, vanilla and white pepper. A firm frame of plush-textured tannins provide definition through the lingering finish. Garnacha and Samsó. Drink now through 2037.” 93 points, Wine Spectator—A.N.
93-95 Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate by Luis Gutierrez: I tasted this still-unbottled regional red in January 2024. The 2022 Les Terrasses Velles Vinyes has grapes from 53 vineyards in seven villages, and in 2022, it was 60% Garnacha, 39% Cariñena (Carignan) and 1% white grapes, higher in Cariñena than in recent years in this extremely warm and dry year. It fermented with indigenous yeasts in oak vats with part of full clusters, had a 41-day maceration and should spend some 12 months in French barriques and larger barrels. It’s fully ripe at 14.5% alcohol while keeping a pH of 3.55 and 5.05 grams of acidity (measured in tartaric acid per liter of wine), parameters of very good freshness. This is always a little earthier and with a beautiful touch of rusticity showing the character of Priorat. It’s ripe without excess; all the 2022s show surprisingly fresh for such a warm and dry year.