ALVARO PALACIOS FINCA DOFI, PRIORAT DOCA 2011

Garnacha 95% and Syrah 5%

Alvaro Palacios is a Spanish winemaker, famous for its Garnacha-based wines from Priorat. Established in 1990 by Alvaro Palacios himself, the winery has been forefront of Priorat’s rise to fame as one of Spain’s most prestigious wine regions. Palacios grew up in Rioja where his family makes wines under the Palacios Remondo name (see below). After spending time working at Petrus in Pomerol, he bought his own vineyard, Finca Dofi in the then-obscure region of Priorat, where the steep, slate-based hillsides covered in gnarled bushvines had been forgotten about in the second half of the 20th Century. In 1993 he produces a varietal Garnacha wine of the same name that has become one of Spain’s most collectable wines, often considered in the same league as Dominio de Pingus or Vega Sicilia.

The 2011 Finca Dofi is a blend pf priorat and It has another exuberant bouquet, like Gallotrops, endowed with beautifully defined floral aromas. There are hints of broom and fennel infusing the scintillating red fruit and a sorbet-like freshness. The palate is medium-bodied with a vibrant peppery entry, fanning across the mouth with succulent red currant and wild strawberry fruit. The acidity maintains superb balance, countering the 14.8% alcohol with ease. There is a firm underlying structure that is only exposed towards the long persistent, mineral-rich finish. Wonderful.

ROBERT PARKER – 95POINTS