Terroir Al Limit Historic Blanc 2023

We seldom hear about the wines of Priorat before the arrival of René Barbier, before the arrival of the then 'in vogue' winemaking techniques from France, and before the influence of the stateside wine advocates. Terroir Históric is Dominik Huber's homage to the Priorat that time forgot. Working co-op style with a roster of younger growers who have (with Huber's guidance) made the investment in organic, first rate viticulture, the fruit is drawn from all nine históric villages of Priorat: El Lloar, Porrera, La Vilella Baixa, La Vilella Alta, Escaladei, Bellmunt, Gratallops, Torroja and Poboleda. As part of the project Huber and co. have begun restoring the historic co-op building of Torroja, where it is hoped the wines will be made in the future, bringing together the growers of the region as it did in the past. In the meantime, the wines are made at Terroir al Límit, they are naturally fermented and raised in cement for six months; no destemming, no stainless steel, no pigeage, no extraction, and there is no new oak. Made from 75% Grenache Blanc and Macabeo, so roughly the same blends as a generation ago. This bottling revels in its robust Mediterranean texture but with a real restraint of fruit on the nose and palate for now. You can just imagine it will flower with age delivering all kinds of beautiful honeysuckle and nutty notes. For now, the wine has a fabulous salinity running through it; a racy, chewy texture, with subtle hints of citrus pith, yellow plums and iodine. A fascinating and classy white wine that is old school in the very best sense.