1902 Centenary Carignan 2014

"Poboleda is in the northeast of the appellation, in the Siurana Valley at the foot of the Montsant Mountains, which provides a cooler microclimate with more rain, a longer cycle and later ripening than the southern part of Priorat. 2014 was a mild year complicated by rains in September, which required sorting grapes. This resulted in a 2014 1902 Centenary Carignan with half a point less alcohol than the cool 2013. This 2014 feels exactly like something in between the 2013 and 2015 vintages—with the freshness and tension of 2013 and the power and ripeness closer to 2015. It has a good compromise between power and elegance; it's concentrated but with tension and freshness, lots of tannins but not astringent. A very concentrated but harmonious Cariñena, one of the best in Priorat. Only 864 bottles were filled unfined and unfiltered in April 2016 after 16 months in new French oak barrels."

Color: cereza muy intenso. Aroma: complejo, expresivo, especiado, mineral. Boca: elegante, lleno, largo, persistente.  

Just 880 bottles made. This is the wine that introduced me to the delights of Cariñena. Vines planted, as the name suggests, in 1902, on steep terraces in Poboleda. Crumbling slate underfoot, the bush vines dig deep. Powerful, intense, black fruit interleaved with brisk acidity. Notes of wild herbs abound, fine leathery texture, long and resonating.