Cellers Grifoll Declara 'Tossals' Vinyes Centenaries Priorat 2018

Wow - this is is the most complex and elegant example of 100% Carignan/Cariñena we have tasted. Granted, we haven't tasted many, and this is a bit spenny, but my gosh it delivers. There is so much concentration here - the wine is big, but elegant with tonnes of minerailty and a creamy, luxurious mouthfeel. This is essentially Priorat with added elegance. Grapes are harvested by hand, undergo 20 days of maceration then fermentation takes place in oak barrels, using natural yeasts. The wine is aged for 24 months in French oak barrels before bottling.

The Grifoll family have been cultivating vines since 1736. In 1880 they moved to commercial wine production with the establishment of the Grifoll Declara cellars. The business is still family owned today, with the 5th generation; Pol and Roger Grifoll now running the operation. Yes, their parents had good taste in wine.

The personality and style of their wines is determined by their soil, the grape varieties – i.e. Grenache and Carignan – and organic viticulture. Growing on carboniferous slates that contain marine fossils, they are able to produce wines with high expression of minerality and unique personality. Focused on the philosophy of pursuing quality without compromise, they do not use any chemical products in their vineyards or during the winemaking process. Minimal sulphites are added, just enough to guarantee the stability of the wine. 

In 2016 Wine Enthusiast Magazine identified Cellers Grifoll Declara one of the 28 best wineries in Spain.