Alvaro Palacios Camins del Priorat 2021

Sweet-berry, watermelon and orange aromas follow through to a full body with soft, fine tannins and a fruity finish. Friendly and delicious. Drink now.

The regional blend 2020 Camins del Priorat, produced with grapes from 101 plots from eight villages in Priorat, is a blend of 55% Garnacha, 15% Syrah, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 8% Cariñena, higher in Garnacha and lower in Cariñena, like in the majority of 2019s. That gives the wines freshness and elegance, vivacity and fluidity. It fermented with the indigenous yeasts in a combination of stainless steel, oak and concrete vats and matured in barrel and oak vats for four months. This is more Priorat than any of the vintages of Camins; in reality, nobody is planting French varieties anymore and many are regrafting their vines, so in the future, the tendency could be toward more Garnacha and Cariñena in this wine. This is a very drinkable version of Camins, less dense than the 2019, from a year that was cooler with just an herbal hint. The mouthfeel is velvety with great freshness and very fine tannins. This has to be the finest Camins to date, different from previous years; it should be a commercial success. 226,000 bottles were produced. 2020 was their earliest harvest ever.

For this entry-point to the red wines of Priorat, Alvaro Palacios relies on garnacha and cariñena (70 percent of the blend), adding cabernet and syrah as well. The result is a delicious and fresh juice, so lively and crisp that it makes you want to ice down the bottle and pour it with charcuterie.

A polished texture carries black olive, tea and loamy earth flavors in this focused red, with black cherry and red plum flavors emerging on the finish. Graceful, with fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity. Drink now through 2024.

Jan 2016 - Brilliant ruby. Intense, spice-accented, ripe black and blue fruits, violets and smoky, mineral aromas build in the glass. The sweet, expansive palate reveals concentrated blueberry and boysenberry flavors that tighten up slowly on the back half. The finish clings with excellent tenacity, providing a framework for the wine's exuberant dark fruit. -- Josh Raynolds

Deep and bright on the nose, this Priorat blend is earthy and ripe. Jammy and full on the palate, this wine is muscular but balanced, showing deep black fruit and toasty oak flavors. A dark finish suggests black coffee and uncomplicated berry tones. Drink through 2017.