2015 Terroir al Límit Vi de Coster Arbossar, Priorat, Spain

Red capsule (equivalent of 1er Cru wine). 

Very limited. L’Arbossar is a steep, north-facing vineyard of 90-year-old Cariñena (Carignan) on schist and granite soils near the village of Torroja where the TaL cellars are situated. Against conventional wisdom, Arbossar was planted on the cooler, north-facing slopes of Torroja and it was this unusual site that informed much of Huber’s early experience with the terroir of Priorat. As Luis Gutiérrez confirms it’s always a ‘fresher and more floral style’ than the corresponding Dits del Terra that derives from the south-facing slopes. Both wines are made in the same fashion; 100% whole bunch vinification with wild yeasts and aged for 16-18 months in large format, neutral oak. One of the finest Arbossars, the 2015 is beautifully perfumed and loaded with rose, violet and grenadine scented fruit that races across the palate, coating it and perfuming the mouth for minutes after swallowing. It’s both crystalline and fleshy at the same time and closes with superfine tannins. Very long and super classy.

‘The old-vine Cariñena 2015 Arbossar has a distinct note of licorice that grows in the glass. By working the vineyard with compost, they have managed to increase yields around 15%, and they feel the grapes achieve better balance, which is very difficult to see in the very poor llicorella slate soils that have almost no organic matter. It's a north-facing slope planted some 90 years ago, and the grapes are very concentrated, so it's a challenge to achieve a floral and fresh Cariñena like this, with notes of blue fruit and violets, quite different from the majority of Cariñena from Priorat. There is no heat at all; it's a cool vineyard, and that freshness is translated into the wine and is especially noticeable in a warm and ripe year like 2015. Superb showing for the Arbossar—it has to be one of the best vintages ever.’