2012 Gratallops Vi de Vila, Álvaro Palacios, Priorat, Spain

The slate terraces around the village of Gratallops host the precipitous vineyards for this wine, with seven autonomous plots adding seven shades of nuance to the ensemble, itself a blend of 80% Garnacha and 20% Samso. Dense dark chocolate flavours underscore the wine; poise and purity are etched into its architecture.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

Álvaro Palacios, whose family owns the prestigious Rioja Bodega, Palacios Remondo, spent two years at Château Pétrus before setting up on his own in Priorat in 1989. From the very beginning, he set out to produce world-class wines by using fruit from extremely low-yielding old vines and by applying ultramodern winemaking techniques. The cream of the crop is the single vineyard wine L'Ermita, which was first produced in 1993. Arguably the most individual red wine in Spain, it is certainly now the most expensive.