Alvaro Palacios Finca Dofi 2020 (750ML)

97 DE / 96 WA / 95 JS / 94 WS

Dark in colour but not opaque. There’s exciting freshness on the nose, with no excessively ripe fruit or overt oak getting in the way. A rounded, spherical, mouth-filling wine, but there’s no heaviness, it’s remarkably fresh and fast on the palate for such a concentrated wine. Long, focused and precise, with that characteristic slatey minerality that Palacios spotlights with his Priorats. Powerful but not overly concentrated, with a natural vibrancy, expansiveness and mineral base that gives this wine its power and architecture. Raspberry-laced finish, but the fruit really is secondary to the extremely mineral expression.--Matt Walls, Decanter

The single-vineyard 2020 Finca Dofí comes from the 14 hectares of vines planted across three parajes (lieu-dits) in Gratallops, a blend of 83% Garnacha, 12% Cariñena, 4% Picapoll—a grape with low sugar and high acidity (good for climate change) that he regrafted some four years ago—and 1% white grapes: Garnacha Blanca and Macabeo, all fermented in oak vats with 10% full clusters and indigenous yeasts and matured in large oak barrels (bocoyes and foudres) for 15 months. It has good ripeness, 14.5% alcohol and a soft texture with nice balance, good freshness and fine tannins. 18,778 bottles and some other larger and smaller formats produced. It was bottled in May 2022.-Luis Gutierrez, The Wine Advocate

What a charming nose, with scented blueberries, crushed violets, red berries, wild herbs and a hint of dark olive. Juicy and pristinely dry and honest on the medium-to full-bodied palate, rounded by ultra-fine tannins, which are silky and powdery. Quite effortless and naturally long. Drink now or hold.- James Suckling

A plush and harmonious red that starts quietly, with delicate notes of pureed raspberry, anise, thyme, violet and a streak of graphite- and stone-laced mineral slowly expanding on the silky palate. Long and seamlessly knit, with chalky tannins defining the sleek finish. Garnacha and Samsó. Drink now through 2030. 1,300 cases made.-Alison Napjus, Wine Spectator