2023 Espectacle del Montsant

The top wine of Rene and Christian Barbier (maker of the famous Clos de Mogador and Manyetes, among others). Just outside the Priorat, this magnificent wine is made from 120-year-old Grenache grapes, located in La Figuera on the northern edge of the Montsant DO. An intense wine in color and flavor. Decant and let it air out, but then... the powerhouse emerges: ripe fruit, floral notes such as rose and violet. Soft and fresh, complex, and long-lasting. So beautiful! A maximum of around 5,500 bottles of Espectacle are produced. The absolute top, but supply of Espectacle is very limited, and these are distributed worldwide. Only the finest fruit and the finest (and most expensive) oak are used for this wine, and the production method is focused solely on quality, with selection down to the grape (berry) level. It's no wonder this wine consistently receives between 96 and 100 Parker points. The vineyard is situated at an altitude of approximately 800 meters, shaped like an amphitheater with stone terraces. Biodiversity is the key word here: in addition to grapevines, you'll find fruit trees, olive trees, and local, indigenous shrubs. The grapevines, some of which are eighty to one hundred years old, grow on slate subsoil. Slate is a poor and hard soil whose main characteristic is the high acidity it generates in the grapes. The vineyard's location on northeast-facing slopes facing the sea ensures very cool nights. Because the summer daytime temperature in that location is typically thirty degrees Celsius, this means there are significant temperature fluctuations. This causes pigments and tannins to accumulate in large quantities in the grape skins, a sign of quality. The grapes are grown biodynamically, with care and respect for the plant and its natural conditions, and all work in the fields is carried out by hand. The grapes are harvested by hand, with multiple runs for picking. Only those grapes reaching optimal phenolic ripeness are harvested. After harvesting, the grapes are cooled for over 24 hours at 4ºC, after which a second selection takes place. Only the very best bunches proceed to the next step. The grapes are then destemmed, and a further selection is made based on the berry size. Only unsuitable grapes (too ripe, too green, etc.) are removed. The grapes that remain from this rigorous selection process are now lightly crushed and begin fermentation in fine French oak (QUERCUS PETRAEA). The must is stirred and pumped over several times a day to achieve optimal extraction. This maceration process lasts a full five weeks, after which the wine is further aged in French oak barrels of the finest quality (Barbier chooses very fine-grained oak – Quercus petrea oak, which are the most expensive barrels available). The wine then matures in this beautiful, elegant oak barrel for around 16 months. After this, the bottles are aged for another 8-12 months before release. FACT: In the "Attachments" tab, you'll find the official fact sheet for this fine wine. We'll automatically send it to you when you order it. The wine is stored in our climate-controlled Wine Warehouse, and if you pick it up, you'll often receive a nice discount. You'll see your discount immediately when you select "Pickup" at checkout. We're located in Dordrecht with ample parking. Click here for our address