Terroir Al Limit, Manyes, Priorat DOC 2021

Delicate smoky reduction notes with beautifully vivid flavours of wild strawberries, rose petals, wild herbs and crushed rocks. It is detailed and finely etched, yet powered with incredible flavour and an endless finish. As spectacular as it was when I first tasted it last year. Pushing Priorat to the limit, indeed.

Drink 2024 - 2032

An epiphany here with its wild, tangy nose full of white pepper, mezcal, blood oranges, forest floor and dried herbs. Really broad and precise, with a chunk of fine, mealy tannins that knit seamlessly on the palate. Nice bitterness at the end to seal it up before an extremely long, nervy finish. Pure garnacha peluda from Les Manyes vineyard. It goes on and on.

Irresistibly attractive now, but can hold.

The impressive 2021 Les Manyes was very young and a little closed, even reductive and took time in the glass to take off. It slowly developed an acute note of violets and wild plants. It has a little more colour than the 2019, but the maceration was more or less the same, so it must be from the year. It's very attractive, juicy and easy to drink, with notes that made me think of Château Rayas. It's fresher than the 2019 I tasted next to it. It's elegant and fruit-driven, right now very young, and it still doesn't have the complexity that it should gain over time. 2,688 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2022.

There's only one wine from 2020 at Terroir Al Limit, as the problems with COVID-19 were complicated by a massive attack of mildew. In 2021, they abandoned oak completely, and all the wines are fermented and aged in concrete except the Históric range, which is in stainless steel. The wines feel very young, primary and undeveloped; they probably need a lot more time in bottle...

Drink 2023 - 2031

The 2021 Les Manyes is 100% Garnatxa Peluda from Montaña del Montsant in Priorat. Sourced from clay and calcareous soils, this wine is an exception in the area. Fermented and aged in concrete vats, it’s a light garnet red with subtle strawberry aromas and hints of rose petal. Light and lean on the palate, it features a gently warm, chalky mouthfeel supported by taut, vibrant acidity and fine tannins, leading to a cleansing, lasting finish. This is a modern interpretation of Priorat.

Drink 2025 - 2036