2012 Les Tosses

Complex aromas of blackberry, dried flower and stone. Full body, good clean fruit and a fresh finish. Straightforward. Drink now.

At this point in time the single-vineyard and top-of-the-range Cariñena, the 2012 Les Tosses, feels very reductive and needs lots of air. It has an incredible pH of 2.98, and in the dry 2012 season these 90-year-old vines on black slate at 650 meters altitude behaved magnificently. The wine matured for two years in oak foudre from Austria. The nose takes forever to take off so you have to guide yourself by the prodigious palate where the balance is gobsmacking (literally!) and full of an earthy, rustic and mineral character that has hints of liquid graphite and tree bark. It really shows the essence of Priorat. The 2013, still not bottled, is tremendous as it is much more open, very indigenous and something to look for next year. If 2011 was a triumph over the vintage conditions, this 2012 had the growing season working for it and the results are even better. This year Tosses and Manyes are at the same quality level. On day two the wine is completely open and expressive showing no sign of fatigue or reduction whatsoever. To the contrary, it shows fresh and much better. This should develop tremendously in bottle. 1,500 bottles were produced in 2012.||I tasted and discussed the wines with Dominik Huber, which is always a pleasure. Huber think he's finally getting to where he wants to be, creating wines with finesse but with the power of Priorat. His 2012s show no oak whatsoever. The wines have more stuffing and at the same time more elegance than 2011. He's very happy with the vintage, it has much better results than he expected after the harvest, which is a common refrain with a number of producers in Priorat. In 2012 he likes Les Tosses very much; he calls it liquid graphite, the Priorat in the glass. He's also proud about the new seriousness of the 2013 Terra de Cuques which has the minerality of the Pedra de Guix: this is also a wine that needs no less than six months from bottling to start opening up and show something. The 2013 Torroja has tons of fruit, perhaps less of a purist's wine than previous vintages, more accessible. His strategy for the future is to start bottling a little bit earlier, after 11 months in oak, and to try giving the wines a little more time in bottle before they are sold. The Torroja and Terra de Cuques will move to 100% cement, with no oak whatsoever. Terra de Cuques is already there, but Torroja is on its way. After many years Dominik Huber has bought part of Eben Sadie and they remain friends but are not financial partners anymore. There are some new wines from Terroir al Limit this year, some of which were produced in minuscule quantities and not exported to all markets. Quantities are so limited that I didn't get to taste them! I tasted a really great collection this year, 2012 is a fantastic vintage, but I have the feeling that 2013 might be even better. Stay tuned...

(100% carinena, aged for two years in 500-liter French oak casks): Brilliant ruby. Drop-dead gorgeous, exotically perfumed aromas of candied red fruits, potpourri, Asian spices and sandalwood, with a bright mineral overtone and a touch of smokiness. Sweet, palate-staining raspberry liqueur and rose pastille flavors gain depth and power with air and show superb clarity. Smooth, spicy and relentless on the finish, which is framed by pliant, fully integrated tannins. A remarkable expression of the variety and one of the most complex wines that I've tasted this year, from anywhere.