Alvaro Palacios Camins del Priorat 2021
If anyone embodies the promise and spirit of “The New Spain,” it is Alvaro Palacios. His L’Ermita is widely considered—along with Peter Sisseck’s Dominio de Pingus— to be the most important Spanish wine in a generation.
One of nine children born to the owners of Rioja’s respected Palacios Remondo, Alvaro studied enology in Bordeaux, while working under Jean-Pierre Moueix at Ch. Pétrus. He credits his tenure at Pétrus for much of his winemaking philosophy and for showing him “the importance of great wines.”
Alvaro could have returned to the security of his family’s domaine. Instead, he was drawn to remote and wildly beautiful Priorat, 60 miles from Barcelona, which had been one of Spain’s important pre-Phylloxera wine regions. With its unique terroir of steep hills and terraces Alvaro believed that here he could make a wine that was like a cross between Pétrus and Grange.
He 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 - L'Ermita.
The grapes are destemmed and sofly crushed. 30 day maceration. Fermentation is in stainless steel, cement and large open top wooden vats. Remontages and punching down.
Alvaro had never wanted to be known solely for expensive “trophy” wines, and with Camins, he found the opportunity to create something special. Drawing on his wealth of vineyard sources, Alvaro is aiming to produce a wine that is affordably priced, but which also stays true to his vision of Priorat—powerful but elegant, approachable but restrained.
| Vintage | 2021 |
| Varietal Composition | 40% Garnacha, 30% Samso, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah |
| Appellation | Priorat |
| Designation | DOQ |
| Aging | 4-6 months in used barrels and wooden vats |
| Alcohol | 14.50% |
| Volume | 750 ml |
| Country of Origin | SPAIN |
| State of Origin | N/A |
| Artificially Carbonated | No |
| Sparkling Wine | No |
Vibrant, youthful and brambly nose that is very fruit-expressive, with lots of red cherries, pomegranate, potpourri and hints of oyster-shell minerality and coffee that extend to a crunchy, medium-bodied palate, framed by juicy, fresh tannins. Bright, silky and unassumingly approachable now. - James Suckling, 92 pts
This bright red bursts with flavor, with fragrant marjoram, violet and milled white pepper accenting crisp cherry and ripe boysenberry fruit. Features fine tannins that are a sleek frame for the expressive profile, with a spicy mineral streak driving the finish. Garnacha, Samsó, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. - Wine Spectator, 92 pts
The more modern and different 2021 Camins del Priorat is a little more balsamic with some herbal notes and some dusty tannins. It's powerful with 14.5% alcohol and has good balance. This fermented 100% destemmed in concrete and stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and matured in oak barrels and vats for six months. - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 91pts
