Tasting note
- Colour & appearance
- Dark purple, still deep and intense, with pronounced violet reflections that betray the wine’s youth.
- Nose
- An abundance of dark fruit alongside something almost secretive: violet, cassis leaf, sour cherry and elderberry, complemented by blackthorn, beetroot and a cool, lingering thread of rosemary and juniper. In the background, black slate and a hint of candied black olives.
- Palate
- Powerful on the attack yet never heavy: succulent fruit, herbaceous depth, accompanied by fine-grained, still youthful tannins. The wine feels dense and energetic, with a saline, slaty line that immediately evokes the licorella soils of Priorat.
- Finish
- Clear, demanding and of good length, developing increasing softness with aeration and a finale that suggests finesse rather than sheer power.
- Terroir & origin
- From Torroja del Priorat, sourced from old vines at 350 to 400 metres’ altitude, grown on black slate and granite. This origin distinctly shapes the wine: a cool spiciness, dark fruit and a taut, almost graphic structure.
- Grape variety & vinification
- 100% Carignan from vines over 90 years old. Terroir al Limit adopts a deliberately restrained approach in the cellar; here, the wine is vinified using whole-bunch pressing and fermented and aged in cement tanks. No show of muscle, but precision through restraint.
- Food recommendations
- A wine for dishes with depth and spice: crispy tartlet with wild mushrooms, dried plums and salted almonds, caramelised beetroot with smoked wild boar ham and thyme, or rack of lamb gratinated with black olive breadcrumbs and rosemary jus. Also a very reliable choice with dark meats, mushrooms or herb-driven dishes.
- Special characteristics
- The Arbossar 2019 demonstrates why this vineyard site is taken so seriously: old Carignan vines, a steep origin, dark minerality and a rare combination of power, purity and ageing potential. Those drinking it today should decant it; those with patience will be rewarded with significantly greater elegance.
