2017 Les Aubaguetes

The latest single-vineyard bottling is already in its third vintage. The 2017 Les Aubaguetes was made from grapes grown on a steep, 1.28-hectare coastal plot planted in the early years of the 20th century. It is a blend of 75% Garnacha, 23% Cariñena and 2% Garnacha Blanca and Macabeo. It had a long maceration of 49 days and an élevage of 16 months in various oak barrels. The soils are very dark and the grapes tend to ripen very late, resulting in a slow and orderly ripening. The grapes were very healthy and the bunches quite loose, resulting in a very pure, expressive and eye-catching wine. They harvested the grapes on October 15 and 16, extremely late for the conditions this year. This wine is very open and expressive and feels like the most voluptuous of all the 2017 wines. There is ripeness and concentration, which is not surprising considering they only received 12.6 hectoliters per hectare, extremely low yields. Despite the high proportion of Cariñena, it is barely noticeable and the Garnacha seems to dominate the character of the wine. 2,200 bottles were bottled in May 2019.

Grape variety: Grenache

Wine Advocate (Robert Parker): 95/100
James Suckling: 97/100

Alcohol content: 14.5% vol.
Allergen information: Contains sulphites

Bottler, importer: Alvaro Palacios S.L. RE 7431T, NRS 30.05934/T, Lote 60019 43737 Gratallops Spain