L’Ermita, introduced in 1993, became a true legend and the most expensive wine in Spain. An estate wine, on par with the best in the world, that catapulted its creator, Álvaro Palacios, to stardom and put the Priorat region on the international wine map. L´Ermita 2017 has been rated 98 points by The Wine Advocate, the publication created by the American critic Robert Parker.
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General Information
L´Ermita 2017 is an exceptional red wine of which only 2,000 bottles have been produced. Its creator, Álvaro Palacios, is undoubtedly the most internationally recognized Spanish winemaker.
The L'Ermita estate is located in Gratallops (Tarragona) and is cultivated with 1.4 hectares of vineyard on steep slate soil slopes. Using grapes from this unique plot, with vines aged between 80 and 104 years, L´Ermita 2017 is crafted, a red wine that highlights garnacha, the signature grape of Álvaro Palacios in the Priorat, and is aged for approximately 16 months in French oak.
A member of a family of Rioja winemakers, Álvaro Palacios headed to Priorat in 1989 to prove that he could produce top-tier wines in this region, known for its challenging and once-forgotten viticultural conditions. Obsessed with the concept of ‘terroir’ and uniqueness, he maximized the potential of Priorat's slate soils and old vines, creating the cult wine L´Ermita, the most expensive of the Priorats.
The winery
Leader of the enological avant-garde in the nineties, Álvaro Palacios is the most famous of the daring winemakers who led Priorat to the pinnacle of the national wine scene.
Born in Alfaro (La Rioja) into a well-known local winemaking family – the Palacios Remondo – Álvaro Palacios decided in 1989 – at just 24 years old – to head to Priorat to prove that he could produce top-tier estate wines in the most promising wine region of the time. Not only did he succeed, but he also created a cult wine – L´Ermita – which introduced the world to llicorella, Priorat Garnacha, and the old vineyards surrounding Scala Dei.