Tasting Notes
Vi de Terra Viva, the equivalent of a villages wine. Terra de Cuques is a blend of 90% Pedro Ximénez from the clay soils of Le Molar and 10% Moscatel de Alejandría on the north-facing slate soils of Porrera. The source vineyards face northeast and are 400 to 600m above sea level. The aspect means the vines are sheltered from the sun’s harshest rays, while the altitude results in cool nights that lock in refreshing acidity. The bush vines also play their role in maximising coolness and freshness.
As with all the whites here, this wine is evolving to be a more precise and focussed style. In the cellar the PX is layered in a wine press and sees gentle foot pressure over a period of one hour; then it is basket-pressed, providing a combination of extraction and maceration. The Muscat portion is made in the same way the domaine makes its reds: whole clusters are layered in a fermentation tank where the weight of the bunches creates enough juice for fermentation to begin spontaneously; then, after one to two weeks, the wine is pressed and finishes fermentation in a concrete tank.
It’s a wonderfully unique expression of high-country Priorat—with mouth-coating texture and energising, beautifully entwined mineral grip. 2021 is the most exhilarating and thirst-inducing Terra de Cuques we have yet tasted: subtle citrus and honeyed florals combine on a palate dripping with texture and light, all underscored by a cool, fundamental stoniness. - Importer Note
On paper it sounds almost too good to be true; the terroir-obsessed Dominik Huber, (originally aided by South Africa's Swartland pioneer and wunderkind Eben Sadie), working with old Carignan and Grenache vines, aiming to produce wines of great finesse and purity from the steep slate slopes of Priorat. A direct reaction against the heavy, oaky styles that still dominate the region, the wines of Terroir al Límit are as inspired by Burgundy as they are by recent tradition in their area. The vineyards are all around the village of Torroja. These sites are worked biodynamically; the cellar work is as minimalistic as possible, with low levels of sulphur being the only additions. Plenty of whole bunch and infusion rather than extraction as the maceration methods. There's a shunning of new/small format wood, in favour of unlined concrete and 1,800-litre mature oak, and a staunch belief that even in a region famed for its big wines, restraint, precision and balance are where the expression of terroir is at.Since their initial experiments in 2001, the wines of Terroir al Límit have created a sensation which has since spread far beyond Priorat and Catalonia's borders. Despite Sadie's involvement ceasing in 2011, Dominik Huber has taken both the viticulture and work in the cellar to even greater heights. If you haven't heard of this grower, don't fret; production is homeopathic. While critical and trade success has brought a great deal of attention (and local jealousy - in 2011 the winery was vandalized and a portion of their wines in barrel contaminated with household bleach), it has also served (to paraphrase Shakespeare) to hold the mirror up to Priorat winegrowers. Indeed, Terroir al Límit promotes a set of ideals and practices that have already influenced many of the more mature cellars within Priorat itself.Not often do we find ourselves tasting at a truly game-changing address, especially so in Spain. Yet these are wines to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. They are quite unlike anything we have seen from Priorat previously, and they are all the better for it. - Importer Note
| Product Type | Wine White Blends |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Country | Spain |
| Region | Catalonia |
| Sub Region | Priorat |
| Winemaking Practices | Natural |
| Vineyard Practices | Organic/Biodynamic |