Wine Advocate (98)

I was anxious to taste the bottled 2023 Les Aubaguetes, as the sample from last year had shown the most elegant of the wines from 2023. It comes from an exceptional vineyard, "vinya classificada," 1.79 hectares of ancient vines (60% Garnacha, 35% Cariñena and 5% white varieties in 2023) in the village of Bellmunt del Priorat, a place that is different from most of the other vineyards in the village of Gratallops and always delivers pale, silky and fresher wines, with a more delicate profile, reflecting a north-facing, more humid place. This fermented in oak vats with indigenous yeasts and had a 36-day maceration. It matured in oval French oak foudres for 13 months and spent two more months in concrete before bottling. Right now, it has a little bit of spicy oak, a rarity in the wines, but it can sometimes happen; it's light but noticeable next to the other wines. It has a moderate 14% alcohol and a very balanced palate with freshness and elegance. It has turned a lot more classical, with the serene harmony and the depth of the old vines, fine-boned, elegant and harmonious, even a little shy today, hinting at a slow development in bottle. This vineyard is revealing a strong personality and is the source of a superb wine, more and more consistent each vintage. 1,200 bottles were filled in February 2025, a particularly low-yielding year for this vineyard. There will be no 2024 because of the rain during the harvest and the problems with botrytis; there was only one barrel.

Wine Advocate (98)

I was anxious to taste the bottled 2023 Les Aubaguetes, as the sample from last year had shown the most elegant of the wines from 2023. It comes from an exceptional vineyard, "vinya classificada," 1.79 hectares of ancient vines (60% Garnacha, 35% Cariñena and 5% white varieties in 2023) in the village of Bellmunt del Priorat, a place that is different from most of the other vineyards in the village of Gratallops and always delivers pale, silky and fresher wines, with a more delicate profile, reflecting a north-facing, more humid place. This fermented in oak vats with indigenous yeasts and had a 36-day maceration. It matured in oval French oak foudres for 13 months and spent two more months in concrete before bottling. Right now, it has a little bit of spicy oak, a rarity in the wines, but it can sometimes happen; it's light but noticeable next to the other wines. It has a moderate 14% alcohol and a very balanced palate with freshness and elegance. It has turned a lot more classical, with the serene harmony and the depth of the old vines, fine-boned, elegant and harmonious, even a little shy today, hinting at a slow development in bottle. This vineyard is revealing a strong personality and is the source of a superb wine, more and more consistent each vintage. 1,200 bottles were filled in February 2025, a particularly low-yielding year for this vineyard. There will be no 2024 because of the rain during the harvest and the problems with botrytis; there was only one barrel.

Wine Advocate (96)

2011 was not an easy act to follow as it produced what probably was the best Dofí to date, yet the 2013 Finca Dofí is as good or even better! The single-vineyard 2013 Finca Dofí, made since 2011 with Garnacha and perhaps 5% Cariñena (previously made with Cabernet Sauvignon), was fermented in oak vats with indigenous yeasts and matured in barriques for 16 months after malolactic. They have achieved a level of sophistication in the élevage of this wine because it is completely different from the wines of, say, 2005 (or 1995!) that were hard and full of tannins. This 2013 is nothing like that. Of course, there are tannins, but the texture is completely different, more akin to a Barolo with earthiness that is coated by ripe fruit to create a singular, unmistakable Priorat. Again, the best Dofí to date. 18,000 bottles produced.

James Suckling (96)

Subtle nose of dried rose petals, slate and hints of red cherries. Full body, a beautiful structure and a dense and harmonious texture. Single vineyard. So delicious now. Why wait?

James Suckling (96)

Subtle nose of dried rose petals, slate and hints of red cherries. Full body, a beautiful structure and a dense and harmonious texture. Single vineyard. So delicious now. Why wait?

James Suckling (97)

This is a very tight and fine-grained red with a compressed mouthfeel. The fruit comes through to a class and elegance. Such length. Ethereal structure. Unique. Drink or hold.

James Suckling (97)

This is a very tight and fine-grained red with a compressed mouthfeel. The fruit comes through to a class and elegance. Such length. Ethereal structure. Unique. Drink or hold.

Wine Advocate (96+)

The origin of everything here and the first single-vineyard red, the 2018 Finca Dofí excels in 2018. Those 10 hectares planted 20 years ago in the village of Gratallops are mostly Garnacha, but the wine also has some 8% Cariñena and 2% white grapes. They all fermented after being destemmed and lightly crushed in oak vats with indigenous yeasts. The wine matured in large oak barrels (bocoyes and foudres) for 16 months. This is the refined version of the Gratallops (the vineyard is in the village!) but with an extra degree of depth and complexity, especially nuance and elegance, showcasing the captivating finesse and harmony of the vintage, which is a little in the style of the 2016 with more energy. I see that these 2018s are quite transparent and show the style of the zone, the iron soils, the dusty roads and the warmth of the soils; it's round and lush, spherical but with a spike of freshness. The élevage has been polished so as to render it almost invisible. This is drinkable now, and I think it's also going to age nicely in bottle and drink nicely throughout its life. 29,540 bottles produced. It was bottled in March 2020.

Wine Advocate (96+)

The origin of everything here and the first single-vineyard red, the 2018 Finca Dofí excels in 2018. Those 10 hectares planted 20 years ago in the village of Gratallops are mostly Garnacha, but the wine also has some 8% Cariñena and 2% white grapes. They all fermented after being destemmed and lightly crushed in oak vats with indigenous yeasts. The wine matured in large oak barrels (bocoyes and foudres) for 16 months. This is the refined version of the Gratallops (the vineyard is in the village!) but with an extra degree of depth and complexity, especially nuance and elegance, showcasing the captivating finesse and harmony of the vintage, which is a little in the style of the 2016 with more energy. I see that these 2018s are quite transparent and show the style of the zone, the iron soils, the dusty roads and the warmth of the soils; it's round and lush, spherical but with a spike of freshness. The élevage has been polished so as to render it almost invisible. This is drinkable now, and I think it's also going to age nicely in bottle and drink nicely throughout its life. 29,540 bottles produced. It was bottled in March 2020.

Wine Advocate (96+)

The origin of everything here and the first single-vineyard red, the 2018 Finca Dofí excels in 2018. Those 10 hectares planted 20 years ago in the village of Gratallops are mostly Garnacha, but the wine also has some 8% Cariñena and 2% white grapes. They all fermented after being destemmed and lightly crushed in oak vats with indigenous yeasts. The wine matured in large oak barrels (bocoyes and foudres) for 16 months. This is the refined version of the Gratallops (the vineyard is in the village!) but with an extra degree of depth and complexity, especially nuance and elegance, showcasing the captivating finesse and harmony of the vintage, which is a little in the style of the 2016 with more energy. I see that these 2018s are quite transparent and show the style of the zone, the iron soils, the dusty roads and the warmth of the soils; it's round and lush, spherical but with a spike of freshness. The élevage has been polished so as to render it almost invisible. This is drinkable now, and I think it's also going to age nicely in bottle and drink nicely throughout its life. 29,540 bottles produced. It was bottled in March 2020.

Wine Advocate (97)

The single-vineyard red 2019 Finca Dofí comes from the 14 hectares of vines planted across three parajes (lieu-dits) in Gratallops. This year, it's 87% Garnacha, 12% Cariñena and 1% white grapes (Garnacha Blanca and Macabeo. It fermented in oak vats with indigenous yeasts and matured in large oak barrels (bocoyes and foudres) for 14 months. It's classy, elegant and fresh with very clean aromas and flavors, not lacking concentration or power. There is superb definition and purity here; it has to be the finest and most elegant Dofí to date. It has finer tannins and more elegance than La Baixada this year. The 2018 was fragrant and this has more clout but superb balance. These two vintages have been great for Dofí. I still remember the 2005, hard as nails then and what the wine is now—spherical and velvety. Dofí on a roll... It was bottled in May 2021, and 21,146 bottles were produced.

Wine Advocate (96-98)

The more backward of the 2021s was the 2021 Finca Dofí, which was very primary and smelled almost like the fermentation vessels, and it took time in the glass to open up. The blend is higher in Garnacha, and they couldn't use the Picapoll as it didn't work well that cool year, so it's 90% Garnacha, 9% Cariñena and 1% white grapes. It achieved 14.5% alcohol but kept better freshness than in 2020, a constant in the 2021 wines. Very promising. They expect 24,000 bottles. It should be bottled around April 2023.

Wine Advocate (96-98)

The more backward of the 2021s was the 2021 Finca Dofí, which was very primary and smelled almost like the fermentation vessels, and it took time in the glass to open up. The blend is higher in Garnacha, and they couldn't use the Picapoll as it didn't work well that cool year, so it's 90% Garnacha, 9% Cariñena and 1% white grapes. It achieved 14.5% alcohol but kept better freshness than in 2020, a constant in the 2021 wines. Very promising. They expect 24,000 bottles. It should be bottled around April 2023.

Wine Advocate (96)

The 2023 Finca Dofí was still not bottled, like a few of the 2023s. It comes from the 12.5-hectare vineyard that names the wine, which extends across three different parajes, or lieu-dits, from Gratallops. The vines were planted 20 years ago on slopes and terraces, and in 2023, it delivered 95% Garnacha and 5% Cariñena that fermented with part of uncrushed grapes in oak vats with indigenous yeasts and had a 36-day maceration. It matured in oval oak foudres and large barrels for 15 months. When I tasted it last year, it surprised me because of it's floral and perfumed profile. It continues the same, a character that has grown in the last few years, floral, aromatic and elegant, very clean and precise. 28,000 bottles produced.

Wine Advocate (94-96)

The blend of the 2021 Gratallops was higher in Cariñena than in the 2020 (25%), which resulted in a wine with a lower pH (3.37), the tendency that makes the 2021s more vibrant. They used some 40% full clusters for the fermentation (rather than adding the stems like in the past). The wine has acid berry freshness; and right now it's a bit difficult with the tannins and the acidity, but one more year of élevage should make it more polished. It should be long-lived and fresh. The expect some 17,300 bottles to be filled around April 2023.

Wine Advocate (93-95)

The 2022 Gratallops is a village wine, "vi de vila" in the Catalan language, which is the official category from the Priorat appellation. The wine shows the ancestral mix of local varieties, which this year is 80% Garnacha, 19% Cariñena and 1% white grapes, Garnacha Blanca, Macabeo and Pedro Ximénez from different vineyards in the village. Like the rest of the wines, it fermented with part of full clusters and indigenous yeasts in oak vats, with punching down and, in this case, a maceration of 31 days. The wine will mature in oval foudres and large oak barrels for 14 months. It's pale, bright, very clean, expressive and elegant, with a great sense of harmony, contained ripeness and a medium-bodied palate with very fine tannins and a surprising sense of harmony, perhaps not super complex or deep but with a silky texture that makes it very attractive. It has 14% alcohol and a pH of 3.52 with 4.61 grams of acidity. They expect to produce around 21,000 bottles in March 2024.

Wine Advocate (99)

The 2010 L’Ermita is approximately 90% Garnacha, 8% Carinena and 2% white grapes, mainly Garnacha Blanca, since that is the mix found in the vineyard, and it has been like this since the 2006 harvest. Every year the grapes are hand-picked and then the 45-odd people that take part in the harvest sit down and go through each and every bunch removing the grapes that are not pristine. So even if the harvest is late, there is no over ripeness in the wine, as all the raisined fruit is removed. The bunches, which are very small and loose, go through a sorting table and the selection is stricter. Nothing less than perfect makes it into the fermentation vats. I saw a beautiful video of the 2013 harvest, which happened later than ever, on November 5, which was breathtaking. Going back to the 2010, the grapes were picked on October 29, and the final yield was a tiny 7.8 hectoliters per hectare, which resulted in 1,254 bottles and a bunch of magnums (and bigger-sized bottles) from the 1.40 hectares of vines. The grapes fermented in oak vats and then aged for 16 months in new French oak barrels. The wine presents itself with an incredible freshness, the nose full of citric notes of blood orange (Alvaro talks about grapefruit), Mediterranean herbs, licorice, violets and aniseed, pure elegance and subtly, with electric, lively acidity (according to the technical data, it has a pH of 3.3, a figure far more common in whites than in reds), pungent flavors, and very good grip. Graceful, elegant, vibrant. The oak is imperceptible, fully integrated into the wine, both in the nose and the palate, as only the very best grapes in the world can do: this is a truly world-class wine, and one of the best (if not the best) L’Ermita ever produced. It’s approachable now, but it should age and improve slowly and for a very long time. Drink 2014-2025+.

Wine Advocate (97-100)

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 acidity that makes it vibrant, even if the nose might be a bit shy. I don't remember a vintage of L'Ermita with this concentration and acidity. We have to see how the élevage rounds it out, but this could be a very important vintage for L'Ermita. The expectation is to bottle some 2,000 bottles of this in May/June 2018.