The Story
The wine is a tribute to the monks of the valiant Carthusian order who arrived in what is now the Priorat in 1095 and began growing grapes. In 1835, a violent mob destroyed the work of a lifetime and plundered the Carthusian monastery. These events later culminated in the disentailment under Mendizábal. In 1996, the Torres family began planting vineyards on hillsides rich in slate stone known as llicorella.
Appellation: DOQ Priorat
Blend: Cariñena and Garnacha
Soil: The Central Priorat has soil known as llicorella, which is unique to the area. It consists of dark slate layered with quartzite. The soil is poor and volcanic in origin, giving the wines a strongly mineral character.
Winemaking: 60 days skin contact followed by 20 days alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel tanks with skin contact at 30°C.
Ageing: 36 months
Vine age: 80 years aprox.
Tasting notes: Intense nose with predominance of dried fruits (raisins, apricots and figs). Significant hints of jammy, plummy dark fruit. Also notable are aromas of aromatic herbs (thyme and similar) reminiscent of Mediterranean forests. The bottom note is spicy with nuances of liquorice, cocoa and cinnamon. The mouthfeel is ample from the start, dense and opulent. Halfway through, the tannins make their appearance, enhancing the sensation of concentration. The wine’s long and fresh finish comes from the prominent acidity that gives contrast and balance to the whole.
Serving suggestions: Perfect as an aperitif paired with blue or creamy cheeses. Also a good match with duck confit. Truly surprising when combined with either chocolate coulant or mousse or with wine poached pears.
Wine Information
Production 1,340 bottles (37,5cl – available only in half bottle)
Alcohol level: 14%
pH: 3.10 g/L
Total acidity: 6.95 g/L (tartaric)
Residual sugar: 97.6 g/L
Precipitation: Annual total (current vintage): 491 mm
Temperature: Mean temp. warmest month (current vintage): 25,7 ºC; Mean temp. coolest month (current vintage): 4,9 ºC
Vintage 2012
SPAIN 2012 VINTAGE REPORT
The Control Board has given the 2012 Rioja vintage the official rating of ‘VERY GOOD’. The global rating reflects the heterogeneous nature of the vintage. The drought affected both grape volume and grape quality in some vineyards but also resulted in a significant quantity of wine of extremely high quality, in line with the wines of the two previous vintages, both rated ‘excellent’.
In general, Rioja’s vineyards showed good canopy growth and health throughout the growing season. Phenological development was normal in terms of dates compared to the average of the last few years. Although fertility rates were lower than those of the last two seasons, they were still within normal values for the grape varieties of the D.O.Ca. Rioja. The continuing drought that has affected the Region in the past two years curtailed the production of part of those vineyards located in drylands. In late August grape ripening was normal, with average values for hat time of the year.
After a growing cycle beset by drought, the late September rains had a significant impact, with a very positive effect on ripening, improving final berry balance and raising hopes about final production figures for a large part of Rioja vineyards. Most of the harvested grapes were in excellent health with a great balance between alcohol content and polyphenols, leading to wines of superb quality, with good polyphenolic structure , particularly suited for ageing in barrels and laying down for a long time.
Another reason behind the positive outcome of the 2012 vintage was the professionalism of growers and wineries in scheduling the harvest, given the uneven ripening found among different plots, which required selective harvesting to ensure the best quality was obtained from each vineyard. The total production volume of the 2012 harvest in Rioja came to 354.9 million kg of grapes —one of the lowest yields per hectare of the last two decades (5,710 kg/ha) and a significant drop compared to the 387 million kg harvested the previous year.
Recommended glass shape
Average Bottle Price
2020 |
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45€ |