Dits del Terra 2021

Cool, taut and silky: Dits del Terra 2021 favours tension over power. The fruit stays fine-grained and pleasantly tart, austere notes lend it contour. At 13.5% ABV, the vintage just reaches the lower limit set by the DOCa regulations.

The vines grow on the steep slate slopes around Torroja del Priorat, facing entirely south; the wine's impression is correspondingly warm and Mediterranean, with correspondingly high ripeness and concentration at harvest. 2021 was also hot and dry in the Priorat, but rain fell every three to four days as harvest approached. Access to the most extreme plots became dangerous, making selection in the vineyard crucial.

Pure Carignan from vines over 60 years old, farmed biodynamically. Dominik Huber and head winemaker Tatjana Peceric work by infusion rather than extraction: whole clusters, no pigeage. Fermentation takes seven to ten days in cement tanks, followed by eight months of ageing in the same vessels. With the 2021 vintage, Huber has banished wood entirely — only neutral foudres and concrete are used.

Blackberry, plentiful sour cherry, elderberry and redcurrant meet pistachio and almond, alongside juniper, long pepper, dried oregano, eucalyptus, mint and violet. The acidity grips, the fine tannin lines the palate and is repeatedly challenged by fruit and acidity. Nutty nuances and dried herbs linger in the finish.

With ricotta ravioli with pumpkin, radicchio and chard, with gratinated beef marrow bones with parsley, or with grilled redfish with ginger sauce.

Terroir al Limit classifies its wines along Burgundian lines into Villages, Premier Cru and Grand Cru; Dits del Terra is a single-vineyard selection. The 15 hectares are farmed organically and biodynamically, and the estate has practised whole-cluster fermentation since 2009.