Name: Álvaro Palacios - the Hermitage - 2021
Brand: Valade & Transandine
Price: 1350.0 EUR
Availability: InStock

Let's talk little, let's talk wine

Description of the Álvaro Palacios Winery

The Álvaro Palacios Estate is famous for its major contribution to the global reputation of Priorat, a Spanish wine region. Founded by Álvaro Palacios after his return from Bordeaux, this estate is recognized for its innovative winemaking practices and its commitment to quality and the unique expression of the terroir.

Description of the Cuvée l’Ermita

Álvaro Palacios' Ermita vintage is considered one of the most prestigious expressions of Priorat. Mainly composed of very old Grenache with a small proportion of Carignan, this cuvée comes from vineyards carefully selected for their ability to reflect the minerality and depth of the terroir. Meticulous aging in new French oak barrels contributes to its exceptional complexity and elegance.

Aromas of the Cuvée

Ermita offers a deep flavor profile with notes of black cherry, plum, and undertones of earth and minerals. Aromas of chocolate, coffee and Mediterranean herbs mingle with touches of balsamic and tobacco, creating a captivating olfactory complexity.

Characteristics of the Cuvée

Grape variety: Mainly Grenache, with a small proportion of Carignan
Profile: On the palate, the wine is powerful yet balanced, with a robust tannin structure and refreshing acidity that carries the intense flavors to a long, elegant finish.
Aging Potential: Ermita is famous for its exceptional aging potential, capable of developing and gaining complexity over several decades in the cellar.

Pairings with this Cuvée

Perfect to accompany rich and flavorful dishes such as grilled red meats, game birds, or spicy and aromatic dishes. The intensity of Ermita also makes it an excellent partner for mature cheeses and dishes featuring truffles or wild mushrooms.

Where are we traveling?

Catalonia The capital of Catalonia, Barcelona, is the second largest city in Spain and home to one of the largest ports in the Mediterranean. This seaside location has certainly favored the region's wine industry throughout history, as have the millions of tourists who flock to the city each year. Catalonia is considered distinct from other Spanish wine regions due to the versatility of its wine styles. France has a strong influence on two of its best-known wines, Champagne-style sparkling Cava and its red table wines, which have similar characteristics to those produced in Roussillon, just across the Pyrenees. It is not surprising, given its geographical location, that Catalonia's climate is strongly Mediterranean, with warm coastal areas experiencing moderate rainfall. The interior is more like the arid plateaus of central Spain, although there are many cooler areas between the foothills and on the high sites where Cava, the region's trademark, is grown. region. These include Macabeo, Parellada, Xarel-lo and some Chardonnay. The sub-region: Priorat Priorat is a small, vibrant wine region in Catalonia, northeastern Spain, whose intense, full-bodied red wines have gained great notoriety in recent decades. The classic Priorat wine is made from old Garnacha and Carignan grapes, and features concentrated aromas of licorice, tar and brandied cherries. The climate is continental, given its relative proximity to the Mediterranean and summers are long, hot and dry with very little rainfall. The hot, dry vineyards of Spain are known for their low yield, but Priorat vines have a yield 5 times smaller than average. This yield is closely linked to quality: if they are low, this means higher quality. Three main reasons explain the very low yields of Priorat: the climate, the nutrient-poor soils and the age of the vines.

The little history of the country

Spain

The history of wine in Spain is so old that no one really knows who brought the first vines to the region. When the Phoenicians arrived some 3,000 years ago and founded the present-day cities of Cádiz and Jerez, viticulture was well established and Spanish wines were widely marketed throughout the Mediterranean and North Africa. You could say that Spain is a wine miracle. After years spent away from the world of fine wines, she is today a major player. Investment and ambition in the vineyards and cellars results in increasingly rich and complex (often very alcoholic) and spicy reds which are increasingly appreciated by international consumers. Proud to have more land devoted to vines than any other country, Spain is only beginning to capitalize on this resource consistently. Spain is an anarchic tangle of regions and sub-regions, just as its landscape is an anarchic tangle of incredibly raw landscapes. A glance at a map reveals the climatic diversity among Spain's many wine regions, from the soggy green vineyards of Galicia on the northern Atlantic coast to the toasty vineyards of southeastern the Mediterranean. Spain's saving grace, in terms of viticulture, is the average altitude of its vineyards, above 600 meters. A large part of Spanish vineyards therefore manage to produce grapes of good color and acidity simply because night temperatures are relatively low and the grapes do not ripen until the end of a sufficiently long growing period. But there is real treasure to be found for those willing to dig and, now that a class of connoisseurs has developed in Spain, all manner of ambitious investors have done their part to change the image of Spanish wine . Today, a new generation of winemakers has quietly begun making spectacular wines and experimenting with grape varieties that would have been unthinkable just a short time ago. Wine remains an important commodity and is an integral part of Spanish culture.

Ermita 2018