Álvaro Palacios L'Ermita 2005

The 2005 L’Ermita comes from a parcel of 70-year-old head-pruned vines of which 85% is Garnacha, the balance Carinena and Cabernet Sauvignon. Inky purple-hued, it has a totally seductive perfume of slate, black cherry, black raspberry, and toasty new oak. Tight but complete, give this sensational effort 10-12 years to fully express itself and drink it through 2045.

Colour: intense cherry, garnet rim. Nose: powerful, expressive, cocoa bean, mineral, creamy oak. Palate: flavourful: fleshy, complex, full, long, ripe tannins.