Pedra de Guix 2022

Wine description for Pedra de Guix 2022 by Terroir al Limit

Colour & appearance

Old gold with radiant reflections, shifting between orange and apricot in the glass – a white wine that openly displays its oxidative component.

Nose

Ethereal and unusual: chamomile tea, yarrow, dried flowers and herbal infusion – as though someone had opened Hildegard von Bingen’s herb chest. Delicate citrus notes provide a fruity outline, underpinned by a fine nutty character. Complex yet restrained at once; large glasses or a carafe are no mere indulgence here, but a necessity.

Palate

Surprisingly creamy on entry, silky in texture. The herbal spice from the nose carries through – savoury, aromatically dense, almost tincture-like. No trace of overt fruit; instead, liquorice, dried fruit and a subtle extract sweetness, framed by savoury phenolics. Still tightly knit in its youth, more knotted than woven – a wine that needs and deserves time.

Finish

Long and spicy, the savoury phenolics carry the herbal aromas far beyond. Leaves an impression of balsamic and dried blossoms – idiosyncratic, yet irresistibly coherent.

Terroir & origin

Three indigenous grape varieties from different vineyard sites in the Priorat: 50- to 80-year-old vines at altitudes between 400 and 600 metres, rooted in clay, alluvial deposits and the region’s typical schiefer. Dominik Huber, the Munich native who has redefined the Priorat, farms his 15 hectares organically and biodynamically – and harvests earlier than almost all his neighbours to counter the heat with freshness.

Grape variety & vinification

Grenache Blanc, Macabeu and Pedro Ximénez – a cuvée found nowhere else quite like this. Gentle whole-bunch pressing, eight months’ maturation in cement. The Pedro Ximénez is deliberately aged in an oxidative style – which explains the nutty, balsamic tones and the unusual depth of colour.

Food recommendations

The herbal spice and oxidative note call for characterful dishes: roasted cauliflower with tahini, apricot dumplings (yes, really – the extract sweetness picks up the dried fruit), Comté or Manchego. Also an exciting combination with cured char or a herb terrine.

Special characteristics

A white wine that defies every expectation of Spanish whites: no tropical fruit, no simplicity – instead, herbal complexity and a texture more reminiscent of great Jura wines than of the Mediterranean. Terroir al Limit stands for infusion rather than extraction; this wine shows that this philosophy can transform whites as well.