Limpid gold. Vibrant, mineral-and oak-tinged citrus and orchard fruit aromas take on a floral nuance with air. Powerful yet lithe in the mouth, offering juicy pear, Meyer lemon and honeysuckle flavors that show a touch of smokiness. Finishes very long and chewy, with a resonating mineral note and firm, spicy cut.

Pale yellow. Fresh Meyer lemon, pear nectar and toasted brioche on the deeply perfumed, mineral-tinged nose. Juicy and energetic on the palate, offering densely packed citrus and orchard fruit and sweet butter flavors plus an exotic touch of mango. Shows sharp clarity and mineral cut on the persistent finish, which features a building floral quality and a hint of tarragon.

Dark violet. Aromas of ripe dark berries, cherry pit, licorice candy and smoky minerals; a floral overtone builds with air. Juicy and penetrating in the mouth, offering concentrated bitter cherry and blackberry flavors and hints of licorice and candied violet. Shows fine definition and power on the impressively long finish, which is framed by slow-mounting tannins

With the arrival of Mas de la Rosa in the Familia Torres Priorat wines, Perpetual could seem like a poor relation. However, it stands up well to the challenge. Bright floral aroma with red cherries. Sunburst of red fruits in the mouth, refreshed by a lift of citrus. Memorably brisk, vivid palate. Polished, well rounded, exuberant. Very confident.

This is intense with exceptionally concentrated fruit, mouthwatering acidity and a fine texture to the palate. Then there is the mineral finish that goes on and on. Could not be more different from the everyday Albarinos.

Slightly prickly aromas of apple, passion fruit and oak introduce a full palate. Briny apple flavors include a pop of scallion and green herbs, while this single-vineyard Chardonnay is steady on a finish held together by acidity. Drink now. 

Lifted berry and floral cherry and black plum aromas are supported by mineral notes and lightly toasted oak. On the palate, an explosion of ripe, pulpy berry fruit and snappy acidity settles with ease and elegance, while this Cabernet Sauvignon from a warm and dry year offers blackberry, cassis and chocolaty oak flavors. There’s plenty of depth to a smooth and balanced finish. This is one of those awesome Mas La Plana wines to hold for many years; best from 2025–2045.

Ripe, smooth berry and currant aromas come with a note of graphite on a convincing nose that promises great things to come. The palate on this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cab Franc is smooth and pure, with modest but notable acidic kick. Blackberry, cassis and black pepper flavors are on the money, while this registers as composed, balanced and holding more in store; drink from 2024–2045. Park Street Imports. Cellar Selection.

Schisty aromas of iron and steel are hard to miss on a nose with earthy but fully ripe berry scents. This textbook Priorat blends minerally grip with creamy weight and pulpy ripe flavors of black cherry and black plum, while the finish is slightly sweet and on the easy side, indicating an open drinking window of now through 2026.

I tasted two vintages of the old-vine red from Priorat, from two very different years, and in both they have introduced some changes. The 2017 Perpetual comes from a warm, dry and low-yielding year when they went for a less-extractive vinification (shorter macerations), especially in the case of the Cariñena, which represents 79% of the blend here, with the remaining 21% being Garnacha. The grapes are sourced from slopes of old vines from local growers in the villages of Porrera, Torroja, Lloar, Molar and Bellmunt, mixing warmer and cooler places...

The nose is a little less emphatic than I was expecting. Though the tannins and bright liquorice fruit are certainly there in abundance. This should not disappoint a newcomer to the DO even if it's a bit Priorat Lite. I'd suggest decanting it to let it flourish aromatically. The palate manages to be both warm and very stony. (The wine offers the distinct and not remotely unattractive prospect of licking warm and grainy stones.) By no means a silly price for a wine that has the potential to develop in bottle for quite a while.

A tight, focused red with blueberry, conifer, chocolate and cedar aromas and flavors. Rather linear in texture and length. A little tight, but a delicious and savory, even subtle wine in the end. Drinkable now, but better in 2021.

A fresh, vivid white with lemon and light crushed-stone character. Medium body and a crisp finish. Drink now.

Wow. A glorious chardonnay that I have been admiring for decades. It’s full-bodied with layers of ripe apple, hints of white peach and nougat and vanilla undertones. Creamy. It’s full-bodied and gorgeous all the way through. Drink or hold.

Tempranillo grapes for this classic Rioja Reserva are cherry-picked from Torres' best terriors, then aged for 16 months in French oak and a further 20 months in bottle before release. It's drinking beautifully now, showing secondary, savoury characters of leather along with ripe red fruits and sweet oak spice.

This beautifully labelled wine draws on Torres’s own 35ha of Ribera del Duero vineyards, sited at 895m, complemented by further grape purchases. The aim is that the wine will eventually be made from Torres-grown fruit alone. It’s still more of an exercise in blackcurrant and black plum purity than the Manso de Velasco: lean, lunging, sculpted and vividly balanced, with prominent acidity but restrained oak.

This manages to marry the boldness and freshness of Ribera del Duero reds with some charm and is already so harmonious that it’s delicious now, but has the structure to hold through to at least 2023.

A tart and bright white with sliced apple and lemon character. White flower. Some apple and pear. Medium body. Orange peel. Crisp finish. Drink now.

Very fresh and sumptuous. Very unlike most Priorats. Polished. Very long and exceptionally fresh. Miguel Torres Maczassek is clearly very proud of this new, fresh style: 'it's all about fruit character'. The wine comes in a burgundy bottle.

The herbal 2015 Mas La Plana is one of the oldest Cabernet Sauvignons from Spain. It's sleek and polished, with varietal character intermixed with a Mediterranean side. The palate is medium to full-bodied with the fine-grained and elegant textbook tannins of the variety. This is from a warm and dry year, and the wine is ripe and powerful but in the Torres style, which is always nicely crafted, balanced and polished. 103,000 bottles and some large formats produced. It was bottled in September 2017.