Elegant and highly acclaimed red wine from Alvaro Palacios.
The grapes come from the approximately 10-hectare Finca Dofí vineyard in Priorat, where the vines average 20 years of age. The relatively young vines, combined with the poor soils made up mainly of stones, result in very low yields per hectare.
In return, this produces a truly great wine that delivers a tasting experience far beyond the ordinary with its elegant structure, remarkable fruit intensity, and impressive ageing potential. The wine is therefore consistently awarded top scores by major international wine critics.
In the 2019 vintage, the wine is composed primarily of Grenache, with 9% Carignan and 1% white grapes in the form of white Grenache and Macabeo. The wine has been aged for 14 months in large oak casks.
Finca Dofí 2021 is dense and dark in colour with a slight purple hue at the rim. The nose is filled with acacia, minerals, blackberries, dark cherries, liquorice, and oak. The palate is rich and intense with full, ripe tannins.
About Alvaro Palacios
For many, Alvaro Palacios’ story begins hundreds of years ago with monks. Monks who not only had the time to refine their products, but were also pleasantly free from economic concerns. At least according to Alvaro Palacios himself: “All the greatest wine regions in Europe were founded by monks. The whole foundation is religious. And making the world’s best wine – or Spain’s best wine – requires a religious attitude toward wine.”
Alvaro Palacios trained as an oenologist in Bordeaux and, among other roles, worked at the magnificent Château Petrus in Pomerol before returning to Spain in the early 1990s to take over and expand the family estates. As early as 1995, critics began showering Alvaro Palacios with praise, and the accolades have continued ever since – whether the wines in the spotlight were from Priorat, Rioja, or Bierzo. Everything Alvaro touches does not turn to gold, but into divinely inspired, delicious, and highly distinctive wines.
Alvaro Palacios grew up among nine siblings at his parents’ winery, Palacios Remondo, in Rioja. Surprisingly, Alvaro chose to travel rather than continue the family business, even though he had a deep interest in the many facets of the wine world. He went to Bordeaux to train as an oenologist and later worked at Château Petrus. He then returned to Spain and settled in Priorat in 1989, which at the time was known for its production of bulk wine. Alvaro gained a foothold there where many other winegrowers had been forced to give up, as the vineyards produced only low yields.
Since 1995, Alvaro Palacios has received recognition and acclaim for his winemaking. It is especially the prestige wine L’Ermita that is beloved and has secured him a place among the finest wineries of Spain’s new generation.
