Merum Priorati - El Cel 2019
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Item# 97283-19/6PK
Penin Guide
93pt
Wine Spectator
95pt
Tasting notes
El Cel has an opaque cherry-red hue with a purple rim. The nose has notes of dark fruit such as ripe blueberries, with subtle undertones of pastries, as well as hints of toasted grain from the French oak. It is broad on entry and refreshing on the palate, thanks to its well-integrated minerality. It has aromas of dark fruit such as wild berries, blackberries and plums. It unfolds in powerful, complex fashion, and its silky tannins ensure a long, elegant midpalate.
Estate
Merum Priorati is one of the most important wine estates in Priorat, founded in 2004 by two Catalan families, and located in the east of the appellation around the pretty village of Porrera. The three vineyard plots (Les Foreses, Plana Marjot and Les Escomelles) cover a total of 103 hectares, but just 29ha are given over to vines, as this is one of the wildest, most rugged terrains where few vines thrive and those that do produce less than 1 kg of grapes per vine (and as low as 250g per vine for the older Garnacha and Cariñena plants). Vineyards here are not measured in hectares, but by numbers of vines planted, due to extreme terracing and contours on these stunning mountainsides. There isn't what you'd call soil more just a carpet of broken black slate called Licorella. Five grape varieties still manage to thrive here on the estate: Garnacha, Cariñena, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Impeccably made but not over polished, wines are truly hand-made: fermentation is in small, open top vats with long cuvasion, delivering wines which are intense and seriously complex against a backdrop of bright and vibrant modern fruit.
