On Sale: $89.94 (was: $109.94)*
Priorat has always been a winner in our book as the source of Spain’s most powerful and expressive reds, but Ferrer Bobet’s pure old vine Carginan, the ‘Seleccio Especial’ is also one of the most distinctive and terroir-driven expressions we’ve seen. It’s one of the few cases where the somewhat old fashioned moniker ‘Seleccio Especial’ feels entirely authentic, as these ancient Cariñena vines, planted around 1914, are some of the most special in Priorat.
With its “powerful, spice- and mineral-accented boysenberry, cherry and incense aromas” (Vinous), this double 96pt Priorat a fantastically mineral and fresh Spanish red that is quite unlike many of the more common Garnacha-based Priorat. This qualitatively may be a shot across the bow for the likes of Clos Erasmus and Mogador, but it is undeniably its own unique wine.
While a comparison to those Priorat heavyweights may not be so suitable (they are both internationally styled Garnacha blends) Sergi Ferrer-Salat and Raül Bobet were aiming for nothing less than the top when they set up shop in 2002. While no expense was spared in building their gravity-fed winery, “the future showplace of Priorat” according to the Wine Advocate, in the vineyard the work is strictly traditional, and all organic. For Spain, 2016 was “one of its all-time greats” (Wine Enthusiast), and the Special Selection is a rare gem of a Priorat, with under 350 cases produced. Cheers!
96 points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate: "The expressive 2016 Selecció Especial reminds me of the 2010, with all the baby fat and all the primary notes still there. It seems to have a lot of everything in an amazing balance, so nothing feels out of place—acidity, tannins, fruit, saltiness. It's full bodied, with soft tannins and a subtle thread of acidity going through its core. It should make old bones. It's so elegant I forgot I was tasting a Cariñena... 3,679 bottles and 100 magnums." - Luis Gutierrez
96 points, Vinous: "Powerful, spice- and mineral-accented boysenberry, cherry and incense aromas are complemented by suggestions of candied violet, vanilla and licorice. Vibrant and sharply defined on the palate, offering mineral-laced black and blue fruit, spicecake and cola flavors that deepen and become spicier through the midpalate. Densely packed yet graceful in character, with velvety tannins lending shape and grip to the strikingly long, penetrating finish, which leaves repeating blue fruit, spice and floral notes behind." - Josh Raynolds
*Offer publication date December 30, 2021. Pricing and availability subject to change.