Technical data:
Winery: Mervm Priorati (Pere Ventura Wine Estate Group)
D.O.Calificada. Priorat
Vintage: 2020
Variety: 65% Garnacha negra, 15% Cariñena, 10% Syrah, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
Alcohol content: 15.0% vol.
Tasting notes:
Destí 2020 is a wine of great aromatic intensity; very attractive on the nose due to the persistence of mineral accents, ripe autumn fruits, and a slight hint of lavender that extends through the terraces of our vineyards, supporting other noble plants of the Mediterranean. In the mouth, we notice that Destí 2019 is silky, broad, and balsamic; we appreciate the echo of pomegranate, sloe, and wild cherry; we notice it is sweet, sweet, and with a prolonged aftertaste of subtleties. The color we observe in the glass is an intense cherry red, but we can also glimpse the chromatic vibration of an autumn sunset.
Serving temperature: 16ºC
Geology and Soil:
From llicorell: rocky and very poor in organic matter, so the vines have little vigor and offer low yields. The mother rock is laminated, which forces the vine to develop its roots up to 15 meters. Both factors contribute to creating an ideal environment to withstand summer stress and consolidate a progressive and perfect grape ripening.
Harvest:
The 2020 vintage was characterized by a fairly rainy spring and a dry and warm summer and autumn. The production of Garnacha was irregular due to pollination difficulties. The hailstorm in June did not have significant effects. The harvest was very healthy and stood out for its quality. This gave rise to a truly spectacular wine.
Pairing:
At Made in Spain Gourmet, we suggest that Destí 2020 pairs perfectly with leaner dishes: A Galician blonde beef tenderloin with foie gras; a wood-fired turbot with layers of Monalissa potato and always with 100% Iberian acorn-fed ham like the ones we have on our website, Maldonado, Enrique Tomás, or Majada Pedroche. It is also ideal to accompany other meats such as Iberian secreto or kid. And of course, with well-aged cheeses like the aged cheeses from Quesería 1605 or Quesos Vazquez.
Production:
Manual harvest collected in 20 kg boxes. 100% of the harvest is destemmed. Fermentation/maceration at controlled temperature and carried out in stainless steel tanks. After three weeks, a soft pressing is carried out through a pneumatic horizontal press. Once pressed, the wine is transferred to 225 l French oak barrels, where malolactic fermentation takes place. After aging for between 12 to 14 months in oak barrels, the wine is blended and bottled. Destí 2020 is neither filtered nor clarified.
It is an exceptional wine that in the 2018 vintage was recognized as the 4th best wine in the world by Wine Spectator magazine.
Vintage 2020: extraordinary
At Mervm Priorati, they work hard and strive every day to guarantee the quality standards of their wines. They accept extreme weather conditions and suffer the adversities of heroic viticulture that mark the character of the land. They work exclusively with grapes from their own estates: the origin is the only way to guarantee wines of the highest quality. The result of all this is a very limited production marked by the terroir.
The 2020 vintage was rated as Excellent for its quality and the health status of the grapes. However, the abundant rain in the vineyard and the excess humidity combined with the excessively warm temperatures provided the perfect environment for the development of one of the most devastating fungal diseases: mildew. In Mervm Priorati, it affected during flowering and, as a result, a significant part of the vines did not bear fruit. The grape harvest in 2020 was therefore very good but also very scarce.
This vintage will be
