Somni 2015

The Somni is a cuvée of Cariñena and Syrah, predominantly from old vines. The vines are planted at altitudes of 320 to 360 metres in decomposed Llicorella slate soil with a high iron content. Harvested during the first three weeks of October, the grapes were sorted berry by berry, fermented for over 24 days in stainless steel fermenters, and aged for twelve months in large French oak casks.

Deep purple red

If you give the Somni plenty of air, a wonderful and lavishly ripe bouquet unfolds, boasting cassis, plums, cherries, elderberries, sloe and blood oranges. All of this appears in both liqueur-like and fresh forms. Arribas plays with overripeness here, yet with such precision that he treads right on the edge without ever losing balance. The rich fruit is underpinned by bay leaf and sage, liquorice, mocha, charcoal, peat and dark tobacco. As befits a fully-fledged wine from the Priorat, a clear, cool, mineral-like component is present in the aroma, balancing the warmth of the fruit in an inimitable way.

On the palate, the wine is naturally just as ripe and rich as the nose suggested. The beauty of it is that the rich fruit does not feel cloying at all thanks to the cool, fresh component, but rather highly invigorating. The Somni combines power and succulence, elegance and sophistication, challenge and finesse. It is a hedonistic, sensual wine whose upfront fruit is never clumsy, but always cushioned by minerality, fine acidity, elegant oak and refined tannins. Masterfully crafted.