Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Already bottled in June 2016, slightly earlier as it usually spends two years in foudre to avoid excessive fatigue because of too much oxygen in the wine, the 2014 Les Tosses is pure Cariñena from an old vineyard on slate soils at some 650 meters altitude. There is none of the rusticity I often link to the grape, this is extremely floral and perfumed, with plenty of violets, a little earthy too. The palate is extremely balanced, and I don't remember tannins as elegant as these in a Cariñena before. There is length, freshness and a very, very long finish. This might very well be the best vintage of Les Tosses so far. This wine feels very young and it's a bit shy, but giving it time it is just amazing. It should be much better with a little more time in bottle. If you decide to pull the cork soon, make sure you give it some time to breathe. There are 1,946 bottles produced. The vineyard is almost two hectares, and Dominik Huber only used part of it for this bottling, and the rest goes to Torroja. But, his idea is to increase the volume so he'll take longer to sell this vintage so he can keep the wine for one year longer in bottle before selling it. Smart thinking...
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James Suckling
lightly reductive yet powerful nose showing qualitative fruit and depth. Flowers and spice. Full body with a ultra-velvety texture and high level of soft tannins. Harmonious. The finish is long and smooth. One of the two top cuvée of the winery. Made from old vine cariñena.
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Wine Enthusiast
Ethereal aromas of baking spices, cinnamon and berry fruits convey exoticism. This Carignan from 90-year-old vines is saturated and a bit rubbery on the palate. Infinite flavors of nutmeg, spiced plum and berry fruits exude Priorat schist, while everything comes back on a strong finish with measurable tannins. Drink from 2019–2030.
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Wine & Spirits
Melding floral notes, brilliant red fruits and hints of stones, this is a complex and multilayered expression of cariñena. It comes from a steep vineyard planted 90 years ago around the town of Torroja, in the center of Priorat. Firm and expansive, it has the energy of a young red, but without the harsh tannins normally associated with cariñena. Dominik Huber aged the wine for around two years, undisturbed, in a single 1,200-liter foudre. It will age with grace for the next decade.
Responsible for some of the most stunning old vine red wine on the planet, Carignan has an amazing capacity to survive dry, arid climates and still produce lovely, mouthwatering wine. In Spain it goes by the name of Mazuelo or Cariñena and while it may have originated there in the province of Aragón, its popularity lies elsewhere, particularly in Languedoc-Roussillon. Somm Secret—Historically Carignan did not enjoy the respect that it does today. In the mid 20th century, Carignan covered nearly 140,000 ha in Algeria, where it was made into low quality bulk and blending wine to supply mass-market demand.
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.