2020 La Baixada, Álvaro Palacios, Priorat, Spain

100% Garnacha from a small 1.3ha vineyard on steep terraces at 300m altitude, cultivated using biodynamic methods. First produced in 2018, the 2020 was made with 30% whole bunches, fermented with native yeasts then aged in French oak barrels for 14 months before being bottled.

Beth Willard: Attractive rose petal aromas followed by cherry and a touch of oak – like baked cherry pie. Intense but fresh palate with layers of pomegranate, raspberry, some toasty oak but well integrated. Really balanced and elegant.

Diana Rollan: Perfumed style with notes of strawberry, violets and rose petals. Subtle palate, silky tannins, round and balanced finish with red berry and floral character.

David Williams: Intriguing, deeply inviting nose. Lots going on: garrigue and mint, wild berries, bales of attractively chewy tannin, an almondy finish. Complex and long.

Drink 2023 - 2035

2023 will be the first vintage to be called Vi de Vinya Classificada. It comes from 22-year-old vines and matured in oak for 14 months. 2,080 bottles and 37 magnums were filled in April 2022.

The nose of the 2020 La Baixada was spectacular when poured, with notes of orange peel, orange blossom and some spiciness that turned into notes of brioche with time in the glass. It has the exuberance of the young fruit, but it doesn’t have the depth and wise character of the old vines like Les Aubaguetes or l’Ermita.

Drink 2022 - 2029

Such a pure, mineral nose here, creating the effect of a fine gauze of chalk and wet stone shadowing the red and blue berries and wild strawberries, providing a nuanced and implicit feel. Undertones of iron, spiced flowers and moss, too. The palate has great depth, with plenty of ultra-fine, chalky tannins that round it from the entry to the end, going on and on in the endless mineral finish. Stunning! Such a great Priorat with real finesse that you can either drink now or hold.