La Montesa 2021

Einst gehörte Álvaro Palacios zur kleinen Gruppe von Pionieren, die in den 1990er Jahren das Priorat wiederentdeckt haben. Nachdem seine Weine von dort Weltruhm erlangt hatten, kam der Ruf von zuhause aus der Rioja, um dort das Familienweingut zu übernehmen. Die Ergebnisse sprechen für sich.

Sumptuous aromas of plump cherries, leading into equally succulent fruits on the palate. Fresh acidity arrives lightly, and then grows, leading to a long taut finish, with the sligh echo of oak. Very young now, it will give much pleasure as it matures. A fine achievement: 100ha of certified organic vineyard, producing wines in quantity (some 500,000 bottles) and quality. Over the years Alvaro Palacios has transformed this from a 50% Tempranillo vineyard to firmly Garnacha-dominant, with a shift towards bush vines from double cordon. 95% Garnacha with 5% other traditional red varieties.

I had not yet tasted the 2021 La Montesa, and I'm glad I did. Álvaro Palacios was super proud of this vintage, and he told me that "many people consider it at the level of a very good Burgundy village at a fraction of the price!" It is indeed a great value, even more so in an exceptional year like 2021. But it was unmistakably Garnacha, with notes of garrigue and aromatic herbs, red cherries and flowers. It fermented with 20% full clusters in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and matured in barrel for 12 months. It's clean and precise, with a lace texture, very fine tannins, flavors of red berries and herbs and a long, tasty, chalky finish. It has to be one of the finest vintages of Montesa to date. It has 14.3% alcohol, a pH of 3.5 and 5.3 grams of acidity. It's not a small cuvée; they produced 592,372 bottles! It was bottled in March 2023.

Beautiful berry-fruit purity with dark raspberries, pomegranate, some moss and subtle mineral and spices. Expressive and crunchy on the firm, medium-bodied palate with succulent berries and minerals. Pure and pithy finish. Drink or hold.