Alvaro Palacios Camins del Priorat 2023

Racy red bramble berries with notes of hibiscus, pomegranates, cochineal and cherries. Some chewy tannins add more gravity to the otherwise medium-bodied palate. Juicy, firm and stony in the medium-long finish. Better in 2025.

A fresh, balanced red, with fragrant hints of dried rosemary and thyme, resin, and milled pepper accenting the core of creamy black raspberry and black plum fruit, enmeshed with fine, taut tannins. Stony finish. Garnacha, Samso, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Drink now through 2033. 15,000 cases made.

The 2023 Camins del Priorat is the regional blend from eight villages and 90 different vineyards, produced with 45% Garnacha, 17% Cariñena, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 9% Syrah and 6% white grapes, Garnacha Blanca and Pedro Ximenez. It fermented in a mixture of stainless steel, concrete and oak vats with indigenous yeasts and some full clusters with a maceration of 21 days and a short élevage in oak barrels and vats for four months. It has a bright ruby color, paler than the 2024 I tasted next to it, harmonious and elegant; the balsamic note has receded and the Mediterranean character more obvious. Rating: 90+