Deep ruby/purple in colour, with classic Priorat mineral aromas, along with black cherries, currants and licorice. Opulent, full and juicy on the palate, with ripe dark fruit, vanilla, dark chocolate and underlying mineral notes on the long, lingering finish, with round tannins and good acidity. Serve with cured meats and cheeses.

Alvaro Palacios, comes from a prestigious wine family, from La Rioja. He could have secured a prime position in the family winery, the world famous Palacios Remondo. However, being the dynamic visionary that he is, he decided to go out in the wine world and make his own way. He studied enology in Bordeaux and had the enviable job of working under Pomerol superstar Châteaus Pétrus winemaker Jean Pierre Moueix. When he returned to Spain, he founded his own winery in 1989 in Priorat, south of Barcelona in Tarragona.

Together with respected winemaker René Barbier and a few others, they ventured on what is has been called the "Gratallops Project", named after the scenic Priorat village where the wines are made. The group bought the vineyards together and shared vinification facilities until they each set up their own estates. His aim, it is widely said, was to make a wine somewhere in between Ch. Pétrus and Grange. That is a tough order to fill, but he has achieved phenomenal praise for his three wines, Finca Dofí, L'Ermita and Les Terrasses . Alvaro, along with Peter Sisseck at Pingus in Ribera del Duero and Telmo Rodriguez in Toro wines, are considered to be the "new generation" of Spanish winemakers. His wines have won him cult status, and are absolutely salivated about in the wine mags. John Radford, Spanish wine specialist, says: "To sum up: Les Terrasses is excellent, Finca Dofí is outstanding and L'Ermita is unbelievable".