Scala Dei Masdeu 2017

I love the elegant and floral nose of the 2017 Masdeu de Scala Dei and the vibrant palate of this pure high-altitude Garnacha that has more in common with the best wines from the neighboring Montsant than with the majority of Garnacha on llicorella and lower-altitude soils from the rest of the Priorat. The highest point of this terraced vineyard reaches 800 meters in altitude, and some parts are red with clay and iron, while some parts are so white that they can remind you of the vineyards of Jerez. Curiously enough, I noticed a note of iron on the nose, intermixed with violets, red and blue fruit and tons of thyme and rosemary. It's fragrant, open, expressive, complex and elegant. The grapes were picked the third week of October, extremely late for a very early harvest in the region. The full clusters fermented with indigenous yeasts in concrete vats, and the wine matured exclusively in concrete for 18 months. There is a sense of harmony and purity that I like very much. Superb wine with freshness for a year like 2017. 2,532 bottles and 100 magnums were filled in June 2019.

Beautifully aromatic, refined nose, with dried cranberry, flowers, leather, prune and vanilla which encourage a second glass, and perhaps a third. Superb driving power, but lovely focus. Really stylish with chalky tannins and lively acidity, can’t fail to impress.

Varietal Garnacha at over 700m elevation, from a mixture of red clay and limestone soils. This is an intense wine; baked red fruits, dried herbs, scorched earth and liquorice. You can almost smell the intense heat of the 2017 summer. Remarkably fresh on the palate, for all that, and very savoury on the finish. 2023-2028