2015 Gratallops Vi de Vila, Álvaro Palacios, Priorat, Spain

The 2015 Gratallops is an incredibly fragrant wine. A field blend of 85% Garnacha, 13% Samsó (Carignan) and 2% white varieties such as Garnacha Blanca, it is almost Syrah-like on the nose with hints of violets and dark cherries. The palate displays a similar, Syrah quality with a wonderful mineral note of granite and an herbaceous freshness, yet a broader texture and lovely weight on the palate denotes its Priorat origins.

This may be the Village offering of the Priorat range but with a yield of only 12.75hl/ha it is hardly surprisingly that it is a beautifully crafted, long and superbly elegant wine.
Catriona Felstead MW, Spanish Buyer

Alvaro Palacios is one of the world’s great winemakers, crowned both 2015 Decanter Man of the Year & Winemaker’s Winemaker by the Institute of Masters of Wine most recently. Alvaro spent 2 years at Petrus before setting up on his own in Priorat in 1989, his wines are now consistently excellent and in the past few years have found a further level of refinement and elegance, they have found yet another gear.