Gratavinum 2πR Priorat 2019

Gratavinum is owned by the Cusiné family, who also run an old estate in nearby Penedes, Parés Balta. This is a newish venture started in 2003 when they purchased vineyards and a winery in and around the village of Gratallops, in the high hills of Priorat. The vines are planted on terraces with a unique slate soil known as Lliorella, this keeps the vines warm in the cold nights and give a mineral note to the powerful fruit. The grapes here are old vine Grenache and Carignan and younger Cabernet and Syrah fermented in stainless steel, and aged 60% in a mix of new, second and third year use 400L French and Hungarian oak casks, 20% in clay amphoras and the remainder in 54L glass demijohns.

The name 2πR is to suggest that this is a rounded wine which can be drunk young, and this is certainly the case, though this is still powerful with all the spicy dark fruit you would expect from a Priorat but less of the tannin structure which leaves many Priorats requiring long aging.