Clos Figueras Priorat 2017

A delicious, fruity red with lots of fruit and hints of chocolate and walnut. Full-bodied with chewy tannins and a fruity finish. This is structured and gorgeous now. But give it two or three years to soften.

The wines I tasted this time showed cleaner and more precise, and the 2017 Clos Figueres was not an exception in its more powerful way, also reflecting the conditions of a low-yielding and early-ripening year. It has the wet slate and graphite quality of the classical Priorat reds, with energy, balance and all the ingredients necessary to develop nicely in bottle. There are some dusty tannins that would welcome some food and/or extra time in bottle. The oak is nicely integrated and neatly folded into the fruit. This transported me to the Priorats from yesteryear. It fermented and matured in new and second use 500-liter French oak barrels. 4,000 to 5,000 bottles. It was bottled in March 2019.

Fresh and concentrated, this round red offers kirsch, plum and balsamic notes, infused with mountain herb, anise and fresh earth elements. Sleek but muscular tannins give structure through the mineral-lined finish. Drink now through 2027.