The Montals vineyard, planted with Garnacha some 60 years ago, is located at the top of the Montsant vineyard after the Mas Deu part of Priorat once you cross the border into Montsant. So, the grapes that go into the 2017 Montals were sourced from basically the same terroir as Les Manyes from Priorat, which is why this wine can have so much in common with the Les Manyes bottling from Terroir al Limit. The full clusters fermented in amphorae for about one week to ten days, then they were pressed and put back in the amphorae, where the wine was kept until bottling. This is the more powerful and energy-loaded red here, a little more Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Proprietor Dominik Huber told me he does not want to offer the same quality as Les Manyes at a cheaper price, so he set the same price for it. I do not get the same complexity and depth I get from Les Manyes here (and I also previewed the components of the hypothetical Les Manyes the same day I sampled this), even if it's very elegant, fine and long, with a refined palate and a velvety texture. It's lively and vibrant, without the earthy character I get from many amphora wines. It's a pure expression of Garnacha on red clay and limestone soils at high altitude, in a cool part of the appellation. The wine felt relaxed and harmonious. The flavors have great purity and definition, and the wine is very long. A very impressive debut. They expect to fill some 1,000 bottles in March 2018, but the wine won't be released until after one year in bottle.
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Terroir Sense Fronteres Guix Vermell Negre 2017 750ml
Rated 97 by Wine Advocate
The Montals vineyard, planted with Garnacha some 60 years ago, is located at the top of the Montsant vineyard after the Mas Deu part of Priorat once you cross the border into Montsant. So, the grapes that go into the 2017 Montals were sourced from basically the same terroir as Les Manyes from Priorat, which is why this wine can have so much in common with the Les Manyes bottling from Terroir al Limit. The full clusters fermented in amphorae for about one week to ten days, then they were pressed and put back in the amphorae, where the wine was kept until bottling. This is the more powerful and energy-loaded red here, a little more Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Proprietor Dominik Huber told me he does not want to offer the same quality as Les Manyes at a cheaper price, so he set the same price for it. I do not get the same complexity and depth I get from Les Manyes here (and I also previewed the components of the hypothetical Les Manyes the same day I sampled this), even if it's very elegant, fine and long, with a refined palate and a velvety texture. It's lively and vibrant, without the earthy character I get from many amphora wines. It's a pure expression of Garnacha on red clay and limestone soils at high altitude, in a cool part of the appellation. The wine felt relaxed and harmonious. The flavors have great purity and definition, and the wine is very long. A very impressive debut. They expect to fill some 1,000 bottles in March 2018, but the wine won't be released until after one year in bottle.
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Rated 97 by James Suckling
Tons of licorice on the nose, but also a deep, earthy note. Enormous tannic power, but the tannins are fine and they give the wine great drive on the finish. Pure garnacha, made from the neighboring vineyard to Terroir al Limit’s Les Manyes. Better from 2019 and probably long aging potential.
Limpid ruby. Expressive aromas of black raspberry, cherry compote and candied flowers are enlivened by a smoky mineral topnote. Appealingly sweet and focused on the palate, offering concentrated red and fruit preserve and spicecake flavors that spread out with aeration while maintaining energy. Candied licorice and exotic spice notes reverberate on a very long, youthfully chewy finish framed by polished, steadily building tannins. All whole clusters and raised in clay amphoras.
The refined beauty of this dry red is less taste than experience. A wild ride of tension, depth and complexity. The lithe aromas and flavors move like a dancer across the nose and palate from deep red and blue fruit to stone to spice with a consistent velvety texture. Yet that seems almost secondary to the nearly transcendental balance and inner quiet. The wine grew from respect for the land and the culture. It belongs to a place and a time, and as such is a true mirror for the power, mystery and beauty of its region.