La Baixada 2022

The vineyard that produces the grape for the 2022 La Baixada is classified in the Vinya Classificada category of the Priorat appellation. It's 1.3 hectares in the village of Gratallops, mostly Garnacha with 2% Cariñena on a steep slope. Like the rest of the range, it fermented with some full clusters and indigenous yeasts in oak vats and had 30 days of maceration. It completed 13 months in oval oak foudres and was in concrete waiting to be bottled when I tasted it in January 2024. It has 14.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.44 and 4.76 grams of acidity. This is super aromatic, floral, open and expressive, with a touch of exotic spices. It's powerful and elegant, with an incisive palate, deep, complex, with fine-grained tannins. Palacios told me this wine was special from day one. This could very well be the highlight of the 2022 vintage. It was expected to be bottled in March 2024, with a production of around 3,500 bottles. - Luis Gutiérrez. 

La Baixada at its best can rival Les Aubaguetes or even L’Ermita. I think the 2022 falls right behind the two. It has a chalky sensation to the red berry fruit, with a touch of white pepper. On the palate this is minerally with a structure that lends tension and a bit more vegetal firmness this year, which makes it not just ethereal but also stony and structured. Drink or hold. - Zekun Shuai, Senior Editor