Alvaro Palacios Priorat Les Terrasses Velles Vinyes Priorat 2022
(Priorat, Spain) - [WA 93-95] [JS 93]

About the Winery:
If anyone embodies the promise and spirit of “The New Spain,” it's Alvaro Palacios. His L’Ermita is widely considered— along with Peter Sisseck’s Dominio de Pingus — to be the most important new Spanish wine of the modern era.

One of nine children born to the owners of Rioja's respected Palacios Remondo, Alvaro studied enology in Bordeaux, while working under Jean-Pierre Moueix at Ch. Pétrus. He credits his tenure at Pétrus for much of his winemaking philosophy and for showing him "the importance of great wines."

• Álvaro Palacios arrived in Priorat in 1989 as one of the pioneering “Gang of Five.” His dazzling 1993 L’Ermita, from an ancient, north-facing vineyard, would help to put the appellation on the map for collectors the world over.
  
  
• As an elder statesman today, he has been instrumental in pushing stricter regulation for the region, and for instituting a hierarchical structure like Burgundy, with Regional, Village, and Cru classifications.
  
  
• From the beginning, Álvaro sought to tease out identity from this historic region. Today, his wines are renowned for capturing not only Priorat’s power, but also its wild personality and elegance.

About this Wine:
While originally conceived of as a value wine, Les Terrasses “Velles Vignes” has slowly evolved into the essence of what makes Priorat special. Drawing on 15+ years of study, Terrasses is sourced from many of the region’s steepest and oldest vineyards—many of them north-facing to avoid the intense afternoon sun. With the 2007 vintage, Alvaro acknowledged Les Terrasses’ “graduation” by adding the “Velles Vinyes” designation to the label.

Ratings & Reviews

93-95 Points - Wine Advocate:
"I tasted this still-unbottled regional red in January 2024. The 2022 Les Terrasses Velles Vinyes has grapes from 53 vineyards in seven villages, and in 2022, it was 60% Garnacha, 39% Cariñena and 1% white grapes, higher in Cariñena than in recent years in this extremely warm and dry year. It fermented with indigenous yeasts in oak vats with part of full clusters, had a 41-day maceration and should spend some 12 months in French barriques and larger barrels. It's fully ripe at 14.5% alcohol while keeping a pH of 3.55 and 5.05 grams of acidity (measured in tartaric acid per liter of wine), parameters of very good freshness. This is always a little earthier and with a beautiful touch of rusticity showing the character of Priorat. It's ripe without excess; all the 2022s show surprisingly fresh for such a warm and dry year. They expected to fill 113,000 bottles around March 2024." - Luis Gutierrez (May 2024)

93 Points - James Suckling:
"Subtle dusty spices, vibrant red berries and an engaging touch of minerals akin to wet stones. Firm and lightly chewy on the palate, with a medium body and a transparent but well-structured finish. Drink or hold." - Zekun Shuai (Oct 2024)