Terroir al Límit Priorat Arbossar 2021

Another Vi de Coster, the equivalent of 1er Cru. Arbossar is a steep, 1.6-hectare vineyard of 100-plus-year-old Carignan planted on schist and granite. It’s close to the village of Torroja, where the Terroir al Límit cellars are based. Against conventional wisdom, Arbossar was planted on cooler, north-facing slopes. It was this unusual site, purchased in 2005, that informed much of Huber’s early experience with the terroirs of Priorat. As Luis Gutiérrez explains, it’s always a “fresher and more floral style” than the corresponding Dits del Terra (from the south-facing slopes). It’s picked earlier, too. The wines are made in a similar fashion: 100% whole-bunch vinification with wild yeasts and 16 months’ maturation, exclusively in concrete. Huber describes Arbossar as a wine with a French soul, a German head and a Spanish heart; we describe it as deeply impressive. With its striking perfume and refreshing spine wrapped in layers of raspberry and floral fruit, it is the most Burgundy-shaped Arbossar to date. This is finesse through and through.