Álvaro Palacios Les Aubaguetes 2023
£388.36 (Inc. VAT bot. 75 cl.) / Spain
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
I was anxious to taste the bottled 2023 Les Aubaguetes, as the sample from last year had shown the most elegant of the wines from 2023. It comes from an exceptional vineyard, 'vinya classificada,' 1.79 hectares of ancient vines (60% Garnacha, 35% Cariñena and 5% white varieties in 2023) in the village of Bellmunt del Priorat, a place that is different from most of the other vineyards in the village of Gratallops and always delivers pale, silky and fresher wines, with a more delicate profile, reflecting a north-facing, more humid place. This fermented in oak vats with indigenous yeasts and had a 36-day maceration. It matured in oval French oak foudres for 13 months and spent two more months in concrete before bottling. Right now, it has a little bit of spicy oak, a rarity in the wines, but it can sometimes happen; it's light but noticeable next to the other wines. It has a moderate 14% alcohol and a very balanced palate with freshness and elegance. It has turned a lot more classical, with the serene harmony and the depth of the old vines, fine-boned, elegant and harmonious, even a little shy today, hinting at a slow development in bottle. This vineyard is revealing a strong personality and is the source of a superb wine, more and more consistent each vintage. 1,200 bottles were filled in February 2025, a particularly low-yielding year for this vineyard. There will be no 2024 because of the rain during the harvest and the problems with botrytis; there was only one barrel.
Features
Type of wine
Style
Occasions
Winery
Size
Appellation
Alcohol
14.5%
Description
Les Aubaguetes is a blend of Garnacha and Cariñena, plus 2% white grapes (Garnacha blanca and Macabeo).
This wine has been produced by the renowned winemaker Álvaro Palacios at the Bodega Álvaro Palacios winery in the D.O.Q. Priorat in Gratallops, Catalonia. Priorat in Gratallops, Catalonia.
The grapes for this wine come from old vines that are over 110 years old from the estate of the same name in Bellmunt del Priorat.
It is a beautiful plot with predominantly siliceous slate soils, facing north, caressed by the sea breeze, balanced by the freshness coming from the north.
Winemaking
The grapes have been harvested by hand according to the optimum moment of ripeness. When the bunches arrive at the winery, they are completely destemmed and the berries are gently crushed. Alcoholic fermentation is carried out with indigenous yeasts in wooden vats with regular punch-downs.
The resulting wine undergoes spontaneous malolactic fermentation in wooden containers and then ages for 20 months in French oak barrels.
Taste
Les Aubaguetes is a red wine with fruity, floral aromas and a seductive mineral nuance. In the mouth it is velvety with strong tannins, but also soft and refined. It is very long and persistent.
A masterpiece produced in Priorat by Álvaro Palacios.
Les Aubaguetes is a wine that interprets the landscape, culture and tradition of Priorat with real skill. The grapes come from a beautiful vineyard with an average age of more than 100 years that is worked according to the principles of organic farming.
In the gastronomic field it is the ideal accompaniment for meats such as lamb, game such as deer and venison and poultry, among others.
And you, have you already heard about the characteristics of this original and magnificent wine? Leave us your comments!
Shipping to Peninsular Spain
FREE shipping on orders over £175.75 or for 18 bottles or more in 6-bottle multiples (24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54 and 60 bottles)Estimated transit time: 2-3 working days.
| Bottles | Price | Over £175.75 |
|---|---|---|
| 1-6 | £6.06 | £0.00 (-£6.06) |
| 7-12 | £6.06 | £0.00 (-£6.06) |
| 13-17 | £11.34 | £0.00 (-£11.34) |
| 18 | Free | £0.00 (Free) |
| 19-23 | £13.97 | £0.00 (-£13.97) |
| 24 | Free | £0.00 (Free) |
| 25-29 | £17.40 | £0.00 (-£17.40) |
| 30 | Free | £0.00 (Free) |
| 31-35 | £20.12 | £0.00 (-£20.12) |
| 36 | Free | £0.00 (Free) |
| 37-41 | £23.64 | £0.00 (-£23.64) |
| 42 | Free | £0.00 (Free) |
| 43-47 | £25.40 | £0.00 (-£25.40) |
| 48 | Free | £0.00 (Free) |
| 49-53 | £29.79 | £0.00 (-£29.79) |
| 54 | Free | £0.00 (Free) |
| 55-59 | £31.55 | £0.00 (-£31.55) |
| 60 | Free | £0.00 (Free) |
| VAT included | ||
