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97
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The Wine Advocate
Red
Classification
Carignan
Variety
2017
Vintage
750ml (Bottle)
Bottle Size
Spain
Country
Priorat,
Region
13.0%
Alcohol %
15 Plus Years
Cellaring
Scores
97 /"The top Cariñena 2017 Les Tosses is a little riper than the 2018 I tasted next to it, but it also has a little more acidity and freshness and comes through as equally balanced. This south-facing vineyard was planted 90 years ago on black slate soils, and its orientations makes the grapes ripen thoroughly and achieve full flavors. Seventy percent of the volume still matured in oak foudres, but this percentage is going to go down to 50% in 2018; eventually, the wine will be aged exclusively in concrete, as is the case with all of their wines. This is expressive and tasty, and it has elegance and freshness within its serious profile. It's very balanced and has a mixture of floral, red and black fruit with some graphite quality and a Mediterranean touch of herbs, even esparto grass. 2,800 bottles were filled in October 2019"
- The Wine Advocate
Tasting Notes
Vi d’altura, the equivalent of Grand Cru wine. There are two Vi d’altura, or pinnacle wines, produced here: Les Tosses and Les Manyes. These are Terroir al Límit’s finest Priorats, as tasted through the prism of Cariñena (for Les Tosses) and Garnatxa (for Les Manyes). They are simply two of the greatest red wines emanating from Spain today.
The 2-hectare Les Tosses vineyard sits on a stony ridge of deep, black slate soils to the northeast of the village of Torroja, at an incredible altitude of 650 metres. It is one of the very few ancient vineyards (the vines are more than 90 years old) at this height. The bush vines here are mainly Cariñena with a tiny percentage of Garnatxa. They face east, like watchmen guarding the valley, and are planted at a density of 6,605 plants per hectare. These vines, along with those of Les Manyes, receive the most intricate attention from the TaL team, with each vine attended to as a most prized possession.
Dominik Huber only uses the best portion of this ‘Grand Cru’ site for this bottling (the rest goes into the village wine). The fermentation was 100% whole bunches with indigenous yeasts. Pressing occurred halfway through the fermentation and then three-quarters of the wine went into a 1200-litre Stockinger cask for 20 months, the remainder to concrete. Such stunning complexity and finesse! Yes, it is not cheap, but it is one of Spain’s finest reds, and made in tiny quantities.
Tasting Profile
- Light
- Full
- Low Tannin
- Tannic
- Sweet
- Dry
- Low Acidity
- High Acidity