2020 Alvaro Palacios Camins del Priorat Priorat 750 ml

Born into a noble family in Rioja, Alvaro Palacios could have returned from studying in Bordeaux and staging with the Moueix clan at Château Pétrus to a comfortable life at Palacios Remondo, the family winery. But he knew that wasn’t what fate had planned for him.

Instead, he set out for Spain’s dusty, sweltering Priorat region—and things there would never be the same. Palacios recognized the special patrimony in Priorat’s clones of Garnacha. He saw the magic of the region’s old vines, and today he is widely regarded as the greatest producer in this prestigious appellation. 

But even after all the priceless 100-pointers, Decanter’s 2015 Man of the Year still delivers value for the rest of us—and he absolutely NAILED the 2020 Camins del Priorat. It’s a stunning Garnacha-led blend that the Wine Advocate called it “the finest Camins to date.” 

On Palacios’s way back home from France, he stopped off to explore Priorat. It was here that he developed the Garnacha from the L’Ermita vineyard’s extremely steep hillsides into a cult wine that now fetches a cool $1200 per bottle. Unsurprisingly, he has racked up honors as Decanter’s 2015 Man of the Year and the Institute of Masters of Wine’s 2016 Winemaker of the Year.

Made from 101 plots from eight different villages, the 2020 Camins del Priorat comprises 55% Garnacha, 15% Syrah, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and 8% Cariñena. We can’t think of a better way to get to know Priorat, one of Spain’s hottest regions—literally and figuratively!