Terroir Al Limit Pedra de Guix 2017
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Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert
Product Details
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Winemaker Notes
The hands-off biodynamic approach of this wine reflects the alluring taste of time and patience, a gentle velvet beauty that moves with waves of citrus, nuts and flowers across the palate. Rich, soft and ripe. The longer it is opened, the fresher it becomes in the glass, developing tension, depth, and a mouthwatering salinity expressing the soils of the region: clay, alluvial and slate. Anything but a simple pour and go, this is ultimately an expression of tradition and place.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A wonderful white with so much dried-lemon and mango character with salty undertones and lots of lemon curd and cream. Full-bodied, layered and flavorful. So much flavor and character. The intensity is really high, at the same time fresh and vivid. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The white 2017 Pedra de Guix is a blend of one-third each Pedro Ximénez, Garnacha Blanca and Macabeo grapes from the villages of Lloar, Torroja and Poboleda, respectively. They consider this an homage to Jerez and think this is a vintage with more freshness and better acidity than previous years. It fermented in concrete vats with indigenous yeasts and matured in well-seasoned 1,800-liter oak foudres. This is an oxidative white that in this vintage matured in less old oak than in the past, when the wine was more oxidative. This is livelier and fresher, even if it does have the nutty undertones but coupled with elegance and freshness, which is the direction they want for this wine. There is a creamy touch here, but the palate is still quite austere, with the chalky tannins and mouthfeel and the dry, almost salty finish. This is more ethereal than previous years, long and complex. A very unusual white, indeed a bit à la Jerez.
Other Vintages
2019-
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
Tiny and entirely composed of craggy, jagged and deeply terraced vineyards, Priorat is a Catalan wine-producing region that was virtually abandoned until the early 1990s. This Spanish wine's renaissance came with the arrival of one man, René Barbier, who recognized the region’s forgotten potential. He banded with five friends to create five “Clos” in the village of Gratallops. Their aim was to revive some of Priorat’s ancient Carignan vines, as well as plant new—mainly French—varieties. These winemakers were technically skilled, well-trained and locally inspired; not surprisingly their results were a far cry from the few rustic and overly fermented wines already produced.
This movement escalated Priorat’s popularity for a few reasons. Its new wines were modern and made with well-recognized varieties, namely old Carignan and Grenache blended with Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. When the demand arrived, scarcity commanded higher prices and as the region discovered its new acclaim, investors came running from near and far. Within ten years, the area under vine practically doubled.
Priorat’s steep slopes of licorella (brown and black slate) and quartzite soils, protection from the cold winds of the Siera de Monstant and a lack of water, leading to incredibly low vine yields, all work together to make the region’s wines unique. While similar blends could and are produced elsewhere, the mineral essence and unprecedented concentration of a Priorat wine is unmistakable.