Catalunya

Priorat

Thankfully the story of Priorat is a common story of the renaissance of an abandoned wine region.

It goes like this, commercial realities force vineyards to be left to ruin as the local population moves to nearby cities. Decades if not centuries later a few passionate indivivuals get together with the plan to make quality wine, harnessing old vineyards and planting new ones with grape varieties from around the world. They play with the new varieties, technology and lots of oak. Then an epiphany comes and they go back to the old ways of their great, great, grandparents. They use the local varieties, look to express fruit, offer restraint and balance their use of oak.

What do they taste like?

The best of Priorat have evolved into sophisticated creatures full of personality. The incredible high elevation vineyards, planted on slate, many over 100 years ago, yield little fruit, what little they do yield is exceptional.

Natural acidity sees many running with acid levels similar to crisp white wines. The way the tannins, fruit, alcohol and acid complex and balance together gives us superb mouthfeel.

The Reds

Although several French varieties are prominent in the region, sticking to the native varieties, we have the option here to try reds made of the two hero varieties Garnatxa (Grenache) and Carinyena (Carignan) both indiviually and as a blends. Like so many varieties around the world, the clones here are unique.

Intoxicating perfumes, vibrant, red fruits, sometimes red apple and pomegranate come to the fore in the Garnatxa, earthy, dark savoury traits in the Carinyena. That overlay of soot, licorice and more often present.

The Whites

And, that’s just the reds. The whites made from Garnatxa Blanca, Pedro Ximénez, Macabeu, Moscatel are invigorating. Fresh, zippy, texutrual, again with insane perfumes.

Two words on the capsule of Àlvaro Palcios’ wines sum it up beautifully:

‘Personalata Única’

Watch the video and read the booklet republished from the works of Scott Wasley and you will see this story told in the context of Priorat.


Àlvaro Palacios 2021's


The 1st Priorat Allowed to use a Village Name!

Àlvaro Palacios ‘Gratallops’ 2021

Garnatxa | Spain, Catalunya

The 2019 of this wine was the 1st Priorat from Àlvaro Palacios I devoured, it started my mission to drink more of Àlvaro's Priorats. It my friends was excellent. So fine and long, great persistence, harmony and intrigue. Poise, balance, complexity and personality. Bright fruits with mineral acid. Slatey, earthy, savour with some darker fruits. Inredible vitality, such sublte energetic fruit. Tasting the 2021 I found myself immediately enamoured, all the hallmarks of great Priorat seen in th
$153
$146ea in any 3+
$139ea in any 6+

Àlvaro Palacios ‘Gratallops’ 2019

Red Blend | Spain, Catalunya

Excellent. So fine and long, great persistence, harmony and intrigue. Poise, balance, complexity and personality. Bright fruits with mineral acid. Slatey, earthy, savour with some darker fruits. Inredible vitality, such sublte energetic fruit. Paul Kaan Initially quite a mineral nose with a blend of earth and gun smoke, this gives way to concentrated layers of red and black cherry, blueberry yoghurt and liquorice spice. The palate is bright and full-bodied, with firm savoury tannins an
$160
$153ea in any 3+
$146ea in any 6+

The Finca Dofi!

Àlvaro Palacios ‘Finca Dolfi’ 2021

Garnacha | Spain, Catalunya

I had the pleasure of devouring the 2016 about 18 months ago over an aged scotch fillet with a friend. A wine of presence and importance. Along with the other Priorats I've had from Àlvaro it's clear he's got it right in both the vineyard and the winery. After all, to make a wine like the legendary L'Ermita you need mad skills! Even just after landing in the country when wines are a little out of sorts from shipping across the world, the perfume builds in the glass with all the trademark
$295
$285ea in any 3+
$275ea in any 6+
I had the pleasure of devouring the 2016 about 18 months ago over an aged scotch fillet with a friend. A wine of presence and importance. Along with the other Priorats I've had from Àlvaro it's clear he's got it right in both the vineyard and the winery. After all, to make a wine like the legendary L'Ermita you need mad skills! Even just after landing in the country when wines are a little out of sorts from shipping across the world, the perfume builds in the glass with all the trademark
$695
$675ea in any 3+
$655ea in any 6+
I had the pleasure of devouring the 2016 about 18 months ago over an aged scotch fillet with a friend. A wine of presence and importance. Along with the other Priorats I've had from Àlvaro it's clear he's got it right in both the vineyard and the winery. After all, to make a wine like the legendary L'Ermita you need mad skills! Even just after landing in the country when wines are a little out of sorts from shipping across the world, the perfume builds in the glass with all the trademark

Àlvaro Palacios ‘Finca Dolfi’ 2017

Garnacha | Spain, Catalunya

I had the pleasure of devouring the 2016 about 6 months ago over an aged scotch fillet with a friend. A wine of presence and importance. Along with the other Priorats I've had from Àlvaro it's clear he's got it right in both the vineyard and the winery. After all, to make a wine like the legendary L'Ermita you need mad skills! The single-vineyard 2017 Finca Dofí comes from ten hectares that were planted 20 years ago in the village of Gratallops. It’s mostly Garnacha with 8% Cari�
$328
$313ea in any 3+
$298ea in any 6+

La Baixada & Les Aubaguetes

Àlvaro Palacios ‘la Baixada’ 2021

Garnacha | Spain, Catalunya

A separate bottling from one hectare of pure north-exposition grapes from Dofí. As with other 2021s, the 2021 La Baixada felt a bit raw with the combination of the abundant tannins and the higher acidity. The vines were planted in 1996 and then regrafted with material from l'Ermita, and this year the blend is 95% Garnacha with 4% Cariñena and 1% white grapes. This is a barrel sample at six months of age (when tasted in early July), and it should mature for one more year before being bot

Àlvaro Palacios ‘Les Aubaguetes’ 2016

Garnatxa | Spain, Gratallops

The second vintage of the newer wine in the portfolio, the 2016 Les Aubaguetes was also completing its élevage in oak foudre when I tasted it. The blend is slightly different from the 2015 and is composed of 78% Garnacha, 21% Cariñena and 1% Garnacha Blanca and Macabeo. This is juicier and rounder than the Dofi. It feels a lot better than the 2015, combining the Mediterranean character of Bellmunt with the coolness of the shadowed vineyard that, together with the acidity of the year, makes it

L’Ermita

Àlvaro Palacios ‘L’Ermita’ 2016

Garnatxa | Spain, Gratallops

As I saw in some of the other wines, there is a lot more Cariñena in the still unbottled 2016 L'Ermita than in the 2015. The varietal breakdown was approximately 85% Garnacha, 14% Cariñena and 1% white grapes—Garnacha Blanca, Macabeo and PX. The grapes are manually sorted and destemmed by the team that picks them and are put to ferment in an oak vat with the natural yeasts from the grapes. Malolactic was in barrique, which is where the wine was maturing when I tasted it. It has electric acid

Àlvaro Palacios ‘L’Ermita’ 2021

Garnatxa | Spain, Catalunya

*The follow note is from tasting a barrel sample The 2021 L’Ermita is a legend in the making, with 13.9% alcohol, the lowest ever, mind-boggling finesse and detail, purity, symmetry, elegance and great freshness that makes it vibrant with a low pH of 3.31 and 6.18 grams of acidity. These parameters should make it long-lived, and the wine is going to be vibrant and develop citrus nose of grapefruit and orange peel. It’s a powerful wine with plenty of energy, abundant tannins, even mor

Mas Martinet


Mas Martinets Top 2 Wines are INSANE!

Incredibly bright and energetic red fruits. Excellent depth and length. Wonderful shape, fine long with a gentle dusting of plush, supple tannins with a slatey twist. So layered and harmonious. Compost and straw in a nice way complimenting fruit of incredible richness and length. Sophistication in a glass.
$318
$308ea in any 3+
$298ea in any 6+
Mas Martinet Els Escurcons Garnatxa 2019 Dark and brooding. Again excellent. Opens wonderfully with power and restraint. Very sophisticated. The play of the two varieties is excellent. Energy from grenache and dark, brooding mystery from carignan. Red fruit with earth, savoury with baking spices and quence. Superb texture. Again the elevage is bang on. Class act!
$318
$308ea in any 3+
$298ea in any 6+


Mas Doix


What an Introduction!

Mas Doix ‘Salanques’ Garnatxa 2019

Garnatxa | Spain, Catalunya

Another Priorat with restraint, this is a very good example of subtle oak handling and how it can add to a wine by just playing around the edges. Energy and depth of fruit with mineral acid and a slatey mouthfeel. Very fine long, savoury and dark with great length. Baking spices, red fruit pops, incredibly even and long.
$160
$153ea in any 3+
$146ea in any 6+

Deep dive into the stunning wines of Priorat in our Wine Bites Magazine article

“Getting Your Head Around Priorat”.


Terroir Al Límit


The Whites

Vi de la Villa – The Village Wines

Terroir al Límit Terra de Cuques 2019

White Blend | Spain, Catalunya

Huber's Village white is incredibly intriguing. It's rare to see so much packed into a wine & for it to have such poise at the same time! Terra De Cuques - which translates as 'place of the fireflies' - takes its name from the fireflies that light up the landscape in this area at night. Fireflies are extremely sensitive to chemical contamination, like ladybirds, and their presence indicates a healthy vineyard environment. Terra de Cuques is a blend of 90% Pedro Ximénez from the clay soils fr
$94
$90ea in any 3+
$86ea in any 6+

Terroir al Límit Terra de Cuques 2021

White Blend | Priorat, Spain

Huber's Village white is incredibly intriguing. It's rare to see so much packed into a wine & for it to have such poise at the same time! Terra De Cuques - which translates as 'place of the fireflies' - takes its name from the fireflies that light up the landscape in this area at night. Fireflies are extremely sensitive to chemical contamination, like ladybirds, and their presence indicates a healthy vineyard environment. Terra de Cuques is a blend of 90% Pedro Ximénez from the clay soils fr
$97
$92ea in any 3+
$87ea in any 6+

Vi d’altura – The Grand Cru

Vi de Coster – The Premier Cru

Stunning! So much Poise!

Terroir al Límit L’Arbossar 2019

Cariñena | Priorat, Spain

Huber's cooler fresher version of his 1er Cru equivalent Cariñena or Carignan has a ridiculous perfume & teases your senses! Arbossar is a steep, 1.6-hectare site vineyard of 100-plus-year-old Cariñena (Carignan) with schist and granite soils. It’s close to the village of Torroja where the Terroir al Límit cellars are based. Against conventional wisdom, Arbossar was planted on the cooler, north-facing slopes of Torroja. It was this unusual site, purchased in 2005, that informed much of H
$174
$167ea in any 3+
$160ea in any 6+
Spicey Savoury Sensual!

Terroir al Límit Dits del Terra 2019

Cariñena | Spain, Catalunya

Huber's warmer, bolder version of his 1er Cru equivalent Cariñena or Carignan perfumed, spicey & savoury! The Dits del Terra can be thought of as Arbossar’s south-facing sibling. It is also 100% Cariñena, from three schist-rich sites where the vines are more than 80 years old. Dits del Terra was one of the first vineyards that Huber and his then partner, Eben Sadie, acquired when they started making wine together in the Priorat. The south-facing terroir brings more flesh and power, yet also
$181
$174ea in any 3+
$167ea in any 6+

Filters & Sorting

Showing 21 Delicious Wines!

Terroir al Límit Terra de Cuques 2019

White Blend | Spain, Catalunya

Huber's Village white is incredibly intriguing. It's rare to see so much packed into a wine & for it to have such poise at the same time! Terra De Cuques - which translates as 'place of the fireflies' - takes its name from the fireflies that light up the landscape in this area at night. Fireflies are extremely sensitive to chemical contamination, like ladybirds, and their presence indicates a healthy vineyard environment. Terra de Cuques is a blend of 90% Pedro Ximénez from the clay soils fr
$94
$90ea in any 3+
$86ea in any 6+

Terroir al Límit Terra de Cuques 2021

White Blend | Priorat, Spain

Huber's Village white is incredibly intriguing. It's rare to see so much packed into a wine & for it to have such poise at the same time! Terra De Cuques - which translates as 'place of the fireflies' - takes its name from the fireflies that light up the landscape in this area at night. Fireflies are extremely sensitive to chemical contamination, like ladybirds, and their presence indicates a healthy vineyard environment. Terra de Cuques is a blend of 90% Pedro Ximénez from the clay soils fr
$97
$92ea in any 3+
$87ea in any 6+

Àlvaro Palacios ‘Gratallops’ 2021

Garnatxa | Spain, Catalunya

The 2019 of this wine was the 1st Priorat from Àlvaro Palacios I devoured, it started my mission to drink more of Àlvaro's Priorats. It my friends was excellent. So fine and long, great persistence, harmony and intrigue. Poise, balance, complexity and personality. Bright fruits with mineral acid. Slatey, earthy, savour with some darker fruits. Inredible vitality, such sublte energetic fruit. Tasting the 2021 I found myself immediately enamoured, all the hallmarks of great Priorat seen in th
$153
$146ea in any 3+
$139ea in any 6+

Mas Doix ‘Salanques’ Garnatxa 2019

Garnatxa | Spain, Catalunya

Another Priorat with restraint, this is a very good example of subtle oak handling and how it can add to a wine by just playing around the edges. Energy and depth of fruit with mineral acid and a slatey mouthfeel. Very fine long, savoury and dark with great length. Baking spices, red fruit pops, incredibly even and long.
$160
$153ea in any 3+
$146ea in any 6+

Àlvaro Palacios ‘Gratallops’ 2019

Red Blend | Spain, Catalunya

Excellent. So fine and long, great persistence, harmony and intrigue. Poise, balance, complexity and personality. Bright fruits with mineral acid. Slatey, earthy, savour with some darker fruits. Inredible vitality, such sublte energetic fruit. Paul Kaan Initially quite a mineral nose with a blend of earth and gun smoke, this gives way to concentrated layers of red and black cherry, blueberry yoghurt and liquorice spice. The palate is bright and full-bodied, with firm savoury tannins an
$160
$153ea in any 3+
$146ea in any 6+
Stunning! So much Poise!

Terroir al Límit L’Arbossar 2015

Cariñena | Priorat, Spain

Huber's cooler fresher version of his 1er Cru equivalent Cariñena or Carignan has a ridiculous perfume & teases your senses! The first time I had Dominik's wines I was blown away by the sophistication, harmony, elegance and texture of the wines. the wine of L'Arbossar was perhaps my favourite. Such beauty is rare. Dominik's background as a Chef, perhaps his German ancestory and definitely his drive to make great wine appears to have lead to the perfect balance between art and science. L'A
$170
$163ea in any 3+
$156ea in any 6+
Stunning! So much Poise!

Terroir al Límit L’Arbossar 2019

Cariñena | Priorat, Spain

Huber's cooler fresher version of his 1er Cru equivalent Cariñena or Carignan has a ridiculous perfume & teases your senses! Arbossar is a steep, 1.6-hectare site vineyard of 100-plus-year-old Cariñena (Carignan) with schist and granite soils. It’s close to the village of Torroja where the Terroir al Límit cellars are based. Against conventional wisdom, Arbossar was planted on the cooler, north-facing slopes of Torroja. It was this unusual site, purchased in 2005, that informed much of H
$174
$167ea in any 3+
$160ea in any 6+

Terroir al Límit Terra Pedra de Guix 2018

White Blend | Priorat, Spain

Huber's 1er Cru level white steps up to the plate. One of the most fascinating whites I've seen in ages! Vi de Coster, the equivalent of 1er Cru wine. As we have said before, this is one of the most mineral, sculpted whites we know—it tastes as if the wine was tapped directly from pure rock—which of course it was. Forget about how rare white Priorat is, Pedra de Guix gives the great whites of the world a run for their money. This is a blend of three varieties from three villages: Poboleda
$174
$167ea in any 3+
$160ea in any 6+
Spicey Savoury Sensual!

Terroir al Límit Dits del Terra 2018

Cariñena | Priorat, Spain

Huber's warmer, bolder version of his 1er Cru equivalent Cariñena or Carignan perfumed, spicey & savoury! The Dits del Terra can be thought of as Arbossar’s south-facing sibling. It is also 100% Cariñena, from three schist-rich sites where the vines are more than 80 years old. Dits del Terra was one of the first vineyards that Huber and his then partner, Eben Sadie, acquired when they started making wine together in the Priorat. The south-facing terroir brings more flesh and power, yet also
$174
$167ea in any 3+
$160ea in any 6+
Spicey Savoury Sensual!

Terroir al Límit Dits del Terra 2019

Cariñena | Spain, Catalunya

Huber's warmer, bolder version of his 1er Cru equivalent Cariñena or Carignan perfumed, spicey & savoury! The Dits del Terra can be thought of as Arbossar’s south-facing sibling. It is also 100% Cariñena, from three schist-rich sites where the vines are more than 80 years old. Dits del Terra was one of the first vineyards that Huber and his then partner, Eben Sadie, acquired when they started making wine together in the Priorat. The south-facing terroir brings more flesh and power, yet also
$181
$174ea in any 3+
$167ea in any 6+

Àlvaro Palacios ‘Finca Dolfi’ 2021

Garnacha | Spain, Catalunya

I had the pleasure of devouring the 2016 about 18 months ago over an aged scotch fillet with a friend. A wine of presence and importance. Along with the other Priorats I've had from Àlvaro it's clear he's got it right in both the vineyard and the winery. After all, to make a wine like the legendary L'Ermita you need mad skills! Even just after landing in the country when wines are a little out of sorts from shipping across the world, the perfume builds in the glass with all the trademark
$295
$285ea in any 3+
$275ea in any 6+
Incredibly bright and energetic red fruits. Excellent depth and length. Wonderful shape, fine long with a gentle dusting of plush, supple tannins with a slatey twist. So layered and harmonious. Compost and straw in a nice way complimenting fruit of incredible richness and length. Sophistication in a glass.
$318
$308ea in any 3+
$298ea in any 6+
Mas Martinet Els Escurcons Garnatxa 2019 Dark and brooding. Again excellent. Opens wonderfully with power and restraint. Very sophisticated. The play of the two varieties is excellent. Energy from grenache and dark, brooding mystery from carignan. Red fruit with earth, savoury with baking spices and quence. Superb texture. Again the elevage is bang on. Class act!
$318
$308ea in any 3+
$298ea in any 6+

Àlvaro Palacios ‘Finca Dolfi’ 2017

Garnacha | Spain, Catalunya

I had the pleasure of devouring the 2016 about 6 months ago over an aged scotch fillet with a friend. A wine of presence and importance. Along with the other Priorats I've had from Àlvaro it's clear he's got it right in both the vineyard and the winery. After all, to make a wine like the legendary L'Ermita you need mad skills! The single-vineyard 2017 Finca Dofí comes from ten hectares that were planted 20 years ago in the village of Gratallops. It’s mostly Garnacha with 8% Cari�
$328
$313ea in any 3+
$298ea in any 6+
The Unicorns are Running!

Terroir al Límit Les Manyes 2018

Garnatxa | Priorat, Spain

Granatxa = Grenahce. What ever you call it is truly delicious wine filled with personality and intrigue! High in the Montsant ranges, the Manyes vineyard is located at the remarkable altitude of 800 metres (the highest in Priorat). This cool, north-facing vineyard is only 1.4 hectares, and the vines are now about 54-years-old. While Les Tosses is planted to Cariñena on pure llicorella slate, Les Manyes is predominantly clay with elements of quartz and limestone and is planted almost exclusively
$535
$525ea in any 3+
$515ea in any 6+
I had the pleasure of devouring the 2016 about 18 months ago over an aged scotch fillet with a friend. A wine of presence and importance. Along with the other Priorats I've had from Àlvaro it's clear he's got it right in both the vineyard and the winery. After all, to make a wine like the legendary L'Ermita you need mad skills! Even just after landing in the country when wines are a little out of sorts from shipping across the world, the perfume builds in the glass with all the trademark
$695
$675ea in any 3+
$655ea in any 6+