Álvaro Palacios arrived in Grattallops, Priorat, in 1989, invited by a group of local producers and intent on extracting the very best from the land of llicorella grey slate soils.

The steep amphitheatre vineyards of L’Ermita extend around the village of Grattallops, where the broken, open slatey llicorella soils bring outstanding clarity to wines. 

The old Granacha and Samso (Carignan) vines receive more than 4,000 hours of sunshine per year and less than 380mm of annual rainfall, leaving a decisive mark on the character of their wines.

The 2016 L’Ermita is comprised of 85% Garnacha, 14% Carignan, 1% mixed Garnacha Blanca, Macabeo, and Pedro Ximenez. The people who harvest pick the grapes off the stems one by one and discard whatever is not perfect, resulting in a total production of 2,000 bottles in 2016 from an area of 1.4 hectares.

Tasting Note: The L’Ermita 2016 Priorat is something special, all class and subtlety. The nose is effusive, bursting with dark fragrant parma violets, sweet sun raisined black berries, fig confit, black plums, spicy black peppercorns, and subtle grape jelly nuances. The palate is lush, broad, expansive, coating every inch of the mouth with crunchy, fleshy red and black berry fruits. Such impressive complexity, opulence and dense, sweet, seamless tannins. There is correspondingly massive concentration and intensity, yet flavours never stray to the spectrum of over ripeness. Everything is so perfectly judged. Just lovely precise acids, very fine balance and a real assured feel to the wine. So distinguished… a wine deserving its icon status.

(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)