The very first release of this world-beating ancient-vine Priorat red was named “Wine of the Year” by two separate Spanish wine publications. Likewise, Ferrer-Bobet has twice been named “Winery of the Year.”
But this 2019 vintage of their flagship old vine bottling is their top-rated ever.
Suckling gives it 96 points, saying:
Impressively complex and deep nose with fine roasted spices, tar, lard, cigar box and plenty of mossy black cherries, wild strawberries and blackberries. Concentrated but nothing hefty here, with a barely medium- to full-bodied palate and a very flavorful and succulent finish. Lasting a minute. Drink or hold.
Wine & Spirits rates it their best ever, too:
Sergi Ferrer and Raül Bobet built their gravity flow winery in Porrera, where they planted 70 acres of vines on steep terraces in 2004 and 2005, organically farmed in the midst of their 172-acre estate. For their Vinyes Velles, they work with local growers who tend centenarian vines of carinyena and garnatxa negra, offering a 2019 that is immediately powerful and zesty. “It’s just the pow!” said Nacho Monclús of this wine when it was first poured, but a day later it was much more than just power, with an intriguingly bloody scent of carignan. The lean, austere tannins are haunted by cherries, the tannins holding that fruit with a gentleness that takes all the extract back a notch, the fragrant red fruit lasting with an elegance that implies a long life ahead.
And from CellarTracker:
This was a pop and pour. It really blossomed with about a half hour of air as it leaned heavily into succulent tones of incense, black cherries, raspberries, licorice, violets, crushed rocks, and red currants. There is an immense amount of depth with a richness to the tones that make you want to keep your nose in the glass. The full-bodied feel is rich, dense, and plush with tart, medium+ acidity and silky, high tannins. The structure is clearly youthful, but this is just straight up sexy. It clearly has room to improve and resolve, but this is a gorgeous wine right now for those that love Priorat in its most unadulterated form.
Ferrer-Bobet is one of the smallest producers in the Priorat, but as critics worldwide have recognized, one of the best. (Parker called them “the future showplace of Priorat.”) This 2019, from the top Priorat vintage in many charts, is a simply monumental effort, and the best they have yet made.
It’s also $74.99 at Wine.com and $76.99 at Total Wine. Wine Access has the lowest US price at $65.
