Region: Priorat, Spain

Varietal: 70% Garnacha, 30% Mazuelo (Carignan)

Tasting notes:  Deep, vivid red. Fresh dark berry and floral pastille aromas are complemented by notes of vanilla, cola and smoky minerals. Sappy and well-concentrated yet graceful, with pliant boysenberry and black raspberry flavors that show no rough edges. Finishes gently sweet, smooth and long, leaving spice and candied lavender notes behind.

Producer: La Cartuja was founded in 2007 by Borja Osborne (from the Osborne family), Alberto Orte and Patrick Mata with the purpose in mind of making an estate-bottled wine showing the mineral complexity of Priorat at an inconceivable price (one of Ole's fortes. The single estate of 24 ha (59 acres) by the name La Solana ("Les Solanes" in Catatalan) is located in the very heart of Priorat between the towns of El Molar and El Lloar, just south west of the town of Gratallops. La Solana vineyard sits at 250m elevation with south-east facing slopes.

Vineyard and Winemaking: Estate-owned small production wine; a singular location at the heart of Priorat; Organic viticulture; oak ageing is short, a Priorat wine that shows depth but drinkability while young. The soils of this vineyard are composed of volcanic slate and sand, which impart the signature of Priorat's terroir and distinctive mineral and graphite flavors. Priorat's soils are poor in nutrients and have a low pH, which results in brighter, fresher wines. Priorat wines show the characteristics of a cool climate, which lends acidity, and a warm climate, which brings ripe tannins.