D'Iatra Gratallops Vi de Vila

D'Iatra is the Gratallops Vi de Vila (Town Wine) made by the Ripoll family's Cal Batllet, a winery which has made a clear commitment to terroir wine and to a sustainable viticulture that allows expression of the soils' singularity. To reinforce that identity, in 2009 the winery decided to go one step further in its support for terroir wine and began to produce its earlier Closa Batllet and Petit Batllet as 'Vins de Vila'.

The Gratallops sub-zone is characterised by a warmth that is generally a few degrees higher than that of the other sub-zones. That's why what most surprised us to start off with when tasting this wine was its great freshness and how easy it was to drink. A suggestion: decant it and don't be alarmed when you see its high alcohol content, as you won't notice it, though you ought to bear it in mind before finishing the bottle, as it is so easily drinkable!

It has the innocence, liveliness and vigour of the young chap on the label, the little Artai. It's a wine full of fruit, cherries, plums, blackberries..., ripe fruits with a hint of liquorice enveloped in a tremendous, and surprising, freshness. The sweetness of the fruit and some chocolatey notes prove perfectly balanced and accompanied by mild menthol notes and some very obvious balsamic touches; there is minerality from certain typically Priorat earthy notes, abounding especially on the palate, and not lacking too are the warm notes of dry herbs from the countryside surrounding the vineyards; the smell is like taking a breath of fresh mountain air.

On the palate, Artai is pleasant, fresh, with very obvious acidity, and fruit-forward, with certainly black fruit, blackberries, and the warmth again in the background. It is a polished Priorat, very well-made, with sinew but with balance too. It is fairly immediate, yet we would recommend decanting it to release all its energy.