La Cartuja Priorat 2018, Priorat, Spain

The 2018 La Cartuja Priorat is a brilliant ruby color. Ripe dark berries, licorice, smoky minerals, and a hint of succulent flowers on the perfumed nose. Juicy, round, and open-knit; a peppery note adds lift and cut to warm blackberry, bitter cherry, and licorice pastille flavors. The long, mineral-accented finish shows very good focus and closes on a youthfully tannic note, leaving cherry pit and floral notes behind. Blend: 70% Garnacha, 30% Mazuelo.