Els Vilˑlusionistes Simbiosi Priorat red 2018

An absolute star bottle. 100% Carignan with each parcel individually assigned to its own amphora or steel tank. Real nous is required to get the skins ripened evenly and to just the right level to avoid any astringency in the final product. Cold macerated for 24 hours the wine undergoes a long, slow ferment to coax out some beguiling flavours. The clay amphora portion polishes away any aggressive tannin, the wine is only lightly filtered and then spends a year in bottle before release. Tasting this again back in Manchester got us thinking about the about the wondrous wines from Clos du Serres – the link is clear – both the Larzac and Priorat can be achingly hot places and yet by taking oak completely out of the equation you bend the definition of ‘power’ – this is concentration and intensity and incredibly easy to enjoy at the same time.

Country: Spain

Region: Priorat

Grapes: Carignan

ABV:14%