2016 Terroir al Límit Vi d’altura Les Manyes, Priorat
A$513.45
Availability:
Out of stock
SKU
B17277V16
Green capsule (Vi d’altura or equivalent of Grand Cru).
Very limited.
High in the Montsant ranges, the Les Manyes vineyard is located at the remarkable altitude of 800 metres (the highest in Priorat). This cool, north-facing vineyard is only 1.4 hectares and the vines here are now about 54 years old. While Les Tosses is planted to Cariñena on pure llicorella slate, the Les Manyes site is predominantly clay with elements of quartz and limestone, and is planted almost exclusively with Garnatxa. It’s a site that produces a Priorat Grenache like no other. If we had to put forward a single wine that symbolises the unique wines of Dominik Huber, then this would be it. It is the antithesis of Priorat’s blockbuster image with the intensity, finesse and transparency of a great, Grand Cru Burgundy. Huber ferments this cuvée with 100% whole bunches and indigenous yeasts, and fermentation finishes in concrete tank. As usual, there is even greater finesse in the mouth than the Tosses. Yes, it is expensive, but we’re now talking about one of Spain’s greatest reds, and one whose tariff remains about one-third of its closest Priorat competitor. Luis Gutiérrez doesn’t give out 100-point scores lightly. Here it is justified.
“The 2016 Les Manyes is aromatic with tantalizing aromas of wild berries and herbs, flowers, a touch of forest floor and something salty. This has a lighter color and comes from a healthier vineyard that gives slightly higher yields (it was not in good shape); the vineyard is in a high-altitude place where they escape the heat of the Priorat. Of course the soils are completely different—they are limestone instead of slate and have more in common with Montsant than the majority of Priorat. The nose could be a mixture of a great vintage of Château Rayas and a traditional Nebbiolo from Piemonte. It's beautifully textured, with refined, chalky tannins and a medium to full-bodied palate, with no room for sweetness but with the volume of ripe Garnacha, pungent flavors and a very long finish. I just couldn't get myself to spit the wine! This is as far removed from a sweet wine as possible: This is a salty wine, a wine for food, a wine for gastronomy. The nose kept changing in the glass, developing new nuances with time—aromatic, intoxicating and attractive, with a kind of magnetism that made me go back to the glass over and over again. I could smell this for hours... I don't think Priorat gets much better than this! Bravo! 2,868 bottles were filled in July 2018.”
100 points, Luis Gutiérrez The Wine Advocate #244 robertparker.com
“Incredible perfumes of dried strawberries and flowers. Mesmerizing. Full body. Very linear and racy with ultra fine tannins. Creamy with lovely polish. Extremely long and intense. Goes on for minutes. No wood. Aged in large cement tanks. Pure garnacha. Drink or hold.”
98 points James Suckling jamessuckling.com
| Product/Service Sold Out | Yes |
|---|---|
| En Primeur | No |
| New Arrivals | No |
| Wine Type | Red Wine |
| Wine Style | Biodynamic |
| Country | Spain |
| Region | Catalonia (Catalunya) |
| Varietals | Garnacha/Garnatxa/Grenache |
| Vintage | 2016 |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
| Wine Points | 100 |
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