A complex assembly of Grenache and Carineña grown to the Denominacio d'origen Priorato, espoused by an equally stirring addition of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Priorat is a long forgotten winegrowing area, highly salubrious in its time, it was ravaged by phyloxera and abandoned in the nineteenth century. The rocky, steeply sloped, mineralite soils have been rediscovered by Don Lewis and Narelle King, who take time out from their operations in Victoria once a year to vinify the parched and precious fruit of Merum Priorati.
Older bush vine Grenache and Cariñena as well as younger trellised Syrah and Cabernet, added for complexity, balance and structure. The older vines are all dry grown while the younger vines have access to irrigation which until recently was banned in Spain. Each individual vineyard and in some cases, each variety within the vineyard, were vinified and matured in separate parcels before being carefully selected for the final assemblage. Hand plunged four to five times a day in 1.5t open fermenters, then pressed out using a wooden basket press and left to settle overnight before transferring to barrel. Treated to twelve months maturation in a combination of new and prior use French oak.
Bright cherry red, pink hues. Rich sweet bouquet of plums, mulberry and slatiness, seasoned by hints of aniseed and wild thyme. Sweet raspberry fruit up front on the palate, licorice chocolates, the wine flows beautifully along, offering fine tannins, good acid and excellent flavour balance, great structure and mesmerising length.