Portal del Priorat | Priorat | La Solana dels Marges | 2018 | 750ml | bio

Description

Product description for Portal del Priorat La Solana dels Marges 2018 (bio)

La Solana dels Marges comes from Alfredo Arribas’ Clos des Portal line. The former architect painstakingly rebuilt historic vineyards before retiring from the project in 2010. The oldest vineyard, La Solana, was planted in 1911 with 100% Carignan, facing north-northeast. This Atlantic exposure ensures a constant fresh breeze through this single vineyard, giving the wines their straightforward and lean expression, despite the immense extract of the old vines. Grown on the local Llicorella slate at an altitude of around 370 meters, the vines have a density of 5,500 vines per hectare. Harvested by hand by mid-September, the unstemmed grapes ferment for around 40 days in wooden barrels before being aged for 18 months in 5-700 liter French barrels.

Colour

Dark ruby red with a black core and violet reflections.

Nose

Despite its dark colour, the 2018 La Solana dels Marges from Portal del Priorat captivates with its lively and, above all, fresh fruit: sour cherries and wild raspberries fill its basket, along with wild strawberries and delicate floral notes of hibiscus and violet. Underpinned by mild spices of sumac and cloves, it has a distinctively fresh top note of vetiver and white pepper. Despite its apparent lightness on the nose, the wine promises a concentrated, complex experience and fills the glass with surface tension.

Palate

Herbally spicy and fresh with gripping tannins and rich extract, this wine immediately presents itself with full pride and completely fills the mouth. Its richly filled fruit basket is woven from tart, tightly woven tannins, and the bright acidity shines like a star in the firmament. Concentrated and juicy, the wine unpacks its aromatics layer by layer like a WinZip file, evoking rich red fruits on the palate, overlaid with ethereal notes of eucalyptus and menthol, which underscores the wine’s fresh character in the finish. The stimulating tannin—off-dry like dark chocolate—combines with the fresh fruit and the vibrant acidity that orchestrates the overall presentation on the palate. A modern ensemble with dramatically expressive playing, wind instruments, strings, choirs, all in the glass. Applause and an encore included.

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Keywords: Portal del Priorat La Solana dels Marges 2018 bio Priorat Spain

Wine Advocate

Score: 93

The oldest vineyard on the property was vinified and bottled separately as the 2018 La Solana dels Marges, produced with Cariñena from a plot that was planted in 1911, worked organically (and certified) and picked at 13.5% alcohol, keeping a pH of 3.6. The full clusters fermented in a barrel for 40 days, and the wine matured in a French oak bocoy for 18 months. It’s varietal and combines elegance and rusticity, flowers and earth, very Cariñena, with moderate ripeness, extraction and oak. The palate is medium to full-bodied with dusty tannins and very fine tannins. These are some of the finest wines I’ve tried from this property. Only 787 bottles were filled in March 2020.
Luis Gutiérrez

Producer website: https://portaldelpriorat.com/