A very ripe Priorat, with blackberry fruits, hints of prunes and pepper and spice. Manages to keep from being cloying thanks to reasonable acidity and a solid structure. Nice, lingering finish. Has similarities to a fine CdR Villages or Gigondas. Fine stuff. Drink now or can hold a few more years. Tasted Dec 2014.

Ah, Priorat. This Palacios blend has the famous freshness, the famous acidity, and the famous minerality derived from the famous llicorella terroir, along with characteristic ripe fruit notes of blackcurrant, blackberry, and raspberry backed by savoury notes of earth and spice. It's truly the minerality that stands out, though, and it adds a great deal of complexity in and of itself with graphite, slate, and crushed rock elements. It also has well-integrated tannins, but the acidity, lively bordering on aggressive, needs more time to calm down. Still, a great entry point into a great region.

I was very excited to seeing another wine from Alvaro Palacios appear at my local Vintages section, and for the price it definitely has met all my expectations! There is quite a lot going on in a glass; plenty of red berry fruit, but also spice and very notably licorice. Perhaps still on the younger side - can't wait to try the bottles I tucked away in a couple of years.
Tasted September 2013