Álvaro Palacios La Baixada 2022
£233.43 (Inc. VAT bot. 75 cl.) / Spain
Available in 10 days
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The vineyard that produces the grape for the 2022 La Baixada is classified in the Vinya Classificada category of the Priorat appellation. It's 1.3 hectares in the village of Gratallops, mostly Garnacha with 2% Cariñena on a steep slope. Like the rest of the range, it fermented with some full clusters and indigenous yeasts in oak vats and had 30 days of maceration. It completed 13 months in oval oak foudres and was in concrete waiting to be bottled when I tasted it in January 2024. It has 14.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.44 and 4.76 grams of acidity. This is super aromatic, floral, open and expressive, with a touch of exotic spices. It's powerful and elegant, with an incisive palate, deep, complex, with fine-grained tannins. Palacios told me this wine was special from day one. This could very well be the highlight of the 2022 vintage. It was expected to be bottled in March 2024, with a production of around 3,500 bottles.
Features
Type of wine
Style
Occasions
Winery
Size
Appellation
Alcohol
14.5%
Grapes
Serving
Between 16ºC and 18ºC
Winemaking
Fermented in oak vats, with 53 days of maceration. Aged for 18 months in French oak barrels.
Description
The red wine Álvaro Palacios La Baixada is a sublime expression of viticulture in the Priorat region of Spain. This wine stands out for its elaboration from the Garnacha Tinta variety, complemented with 2% of white grapes. Sourced from a 1.3 hectare vineyard, the grapes are grown on slate soils (llicorella) on costers (steep slopes), which provides a distinctive mineral character.
Winemaking
Álvaro Palacios La Baixada is the result of a meticulous winemaking process. The grapes, harvested from 21-year-old vines, are destemmed and lightly crushed before fermenting in oak vats with indigenous yeasts. The wine then matures in a French oval foudre for 14 months, a process that enhances its complexity and character. This focus on subtle and precise ageing ensures that the wine faithfully reflects the purity of its aromas and flavours.
Taste
Álvaro Palacios La Baixada is characterised by its purity and directionality, presenting round and bright tannins. The influence of the foudre ageing is perceived in its taste profile, where the wood does not dominate, but complements and enriches the expression of the fruit and the terroir. This wine offers a unique sensory experience, with a palette of flavours that reflects the aromatic richness of the Garnacha grapes, enriched by the minerality of the slate soils. La Baixada is a wine that invites to be savoured with attention, revealing layers of complexity with each sip.
Shipping to Peninsular Spain
FREE shipping on orders over £176.40 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 £176.40 |
|---|---|---|
| 1-6 | £6.09 | £0.00 (-£6.09) |
| 7-12 | £6.09 | £0.00 (-£6.09) |
| 13-17 | £11.38 | £0.00 (-£11.38) |
| 18 | Free | £0.00 (Free) |
| 19-23 | £14.02 | £0.00 (-£14.02) |
| 24 | Free | £0.00 (Free) |
| 25-29 | £17.46 | £0.00 (-£17.46) |
| 30 | Free | £0.00 (Free) |
| 31-35 | £20.20 | £0.00 (-£20.20) |
| 36 | Free | £0.00 (Free) |
| 37-41 | £23.73 | £0.00 (-£23.73) |
| 42 | Free | £0.00 (Free) |
| 43-47 | £25.49 | £0.00 (-£25.49) |
| 48 | Free | £0.00 (Free) |
| 49-53 | £29.90 | £0.00 (-£29.90) |
| 54 | Free | £0.00 (Free) |
| 55-59 | £31.66 | £0.00 (-£31.66) |
| 60 | Free | £0.00 (Free) |
| VAT included | ||
