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Alvaro Palacios Finca Dofi 2010

$229.99

LAST OF THIS VINTAGE

Out of stock

Categories: , , Product ID: 7427

Description

Alvaro Palacios, whose family owns the prestigious Rioja Bodega, Palacios Remondo, spent 2 years at Château Pétrus before setting up on his own in Priorat in 1989.  From the outset, he set out to produce world-class wines by using fruit from extremely low-yielding old vines and by applying ultra-modern winemaking techniques.   He is now considered one of the “rock stars” of modern Spanish wine making best known for his work in revitalising the region of Priorat and his ultra-pricey “Grand Cru”, L’Ermita.

Alvaro Palacios acquired his first vineyard, Finca Dofí, in 1990. Then, in 1993, he located what is now regarded as the crown jewel property in Priorat, a precipitous, northeast-facing Garnacha vineyard on well-drained schist that had been planted between 1900 and 1940. Alvaro named it for a small chapel, or hermitage, that sits atop the hill. In 1995, the flow of critical praise began  for Alvaro’s L’Ermita however just as compelling in its own rights is Finca Dofí.  Palacios describes Finca Dofi as “like a ball of stone dressed with velvet”.

Alvaro Palacios was one of the ‘pioneers’, who vivified and re-interpreted Priorat after the Franco era de-planting.  From the ‘30s, during and after the industrialising era under Franco, Garnacha was largely ignored in Priorat, and the trend in the region was a combination of de-population, as the youth went to the city looking for work, deplanting and/or over-planting with the more reliable workhorse variety Samsó, yielding more wine more easily, strong wine with good colour, but not the nobility possible with the local Garnacha.  In 1989 when the likes Alvaro Palacios went into Priorat, there were just 800 ha of vines planted (80% of which was Samsó), compared to the pre-war peak of 17,000 ha, largely Garnacha!  Now, after 20 years, Alvaro sees it was clearly a mistake, and as his commitment is to the nobility of the local Garnacha he is reverse-engineering the French varietals (such as Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah) out of his Priorats as quickly as he can.  Without doubt he is the finest producer in one of the most unique terroirs of world wine, working with indigenous old strains of Garnacha.

Finca Dofi is one of the defining wines from Priorat and the spectacular 2010 (vintage of a generation) is no exception:-

94 points Stephen Tanzer IWC, “Suave, highly perfumed nose offers fresh raspberry, minerals, candied flowers and Asian spices.  Sappy and minerally, offering intense, spice-accented red fruit and floral pastille flavors with superb clarity.  Wonderfully supple in texture, with outstanding finishing persistence and only a hint of sweet tannins.”

93 points Wine Advocate, “The aromatics are still defined by that carapace of new oak, although underneath lies some fine dark cherry and raspberry fruit interlaced by Chinese five-spice, lavender and wild heather. The palate is powerful and full-bodied with a very intense entry of pure dark berries intermingled with balsamic and Asian spices, a core of ripe black currant and a dense, grippy finish. It displays impressive length and persistency, though it will remain impenetrable for the first 5-6 years of its life.” RRP $220

Additional information

Producer

Alvaro Palacios

Variety

Grenache and Blends

Region or Country

Priorat, Spain

Vintage

2010

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