2019 Clos Manyetes

The single-vineyard pure Cariñena 2019 Manyetes is now a Vi de Paratge from Gratallops, the new category for lieu-dit wines from Priorat. 2019 was a very good year for Cariñena, and the wine takes me to the classical Priorats from yesteryear—concentrated and intense, with its notes of graphite and the lovely rusticity from the warm zone and the slate soils. In 2019, they aged the wine in a 2,000-liter oak vat. They lost some grapes because of a heat wave of up to 46 degrees Celsius in June, and they only got 2,000 liters of wine. Despite the ripeness, concentration and 15% alcohol, the wine comes through as neatly balanced. It's full-bodied and powerful, with energy and fine but abundant tannins. This should be long lived. This represents Priorat in its more pure expression. 2,800 bottles were filled July 2021.