Offered MAY 13th, 2017

Coming from a prestigious Rioja winemaking family, Alvaro Palacios could have stayed with the family winery, but decided to go out and make his own way, focusing on rediscovering abandoned vineyards in other historically great wine-growing regions. He studied oenology in Bordeaux and worked with Jean-Pierre Moueix, winemaker of Chateau Petrus, who he credits for much of his personal winemaking philosophy and appreciation of great wines.

On his return from Bordeaux in 1989, he traveled to the Mediterranean wine region of Priorat, south of Barcelona in Tarragona, a region at that time not well known for its wines, where he founded his own winery. It was not long before L’Ermita and a handful of other wines were able to demonstrate the fabulous quality of which Priorat was capable.

Although wine had been produced in the region for many decades, with many of the vineyards tended by Carthusian monks, Priorat had been one of Spain’s important pre-Phylloxera wine regions but the steep hills and terraces and rocky terrain generally made it difficult to cultivate vines profitably, and consequently many vineyards were being abandoned. It took the vision of a handful of winemakers in the late 1980s to recognize the extraordinary potential of the region. Alvaro believed he could make wines that rivaled the best of Europe by exploiting its unique terroir.

Alvaro acquired his first vineyard, Finca Dofí, in 1990 and soon began producing exceptional wines there. Then, in 1993, he acquired what is now regarded as the crown jewel property in Priorat, a precipitous, northeast-facing Grenache vineyard on well-drained schist that had been planted at various stages between 1900 and 1940. He named it L’Ermita for a small chapel, or hermitage, located at the top of the hill.

When he set out on his personal mission to make a wine somewhere in between Petrus and Penfold’s Grange, he knew he had set himself a tough challenge. In 1995, the stream of critical praise for L’Ermita began, and it hasn’t stopped since, as he continues to achieve phenomenal praise for his wines.

Alvaro Palacios L’Ermita 1994
1 case available, $3,900 per six-bottle case
97 points Wine Advocate

Alvaro Palacios L’Ermita 1995
1 case available, $1,950 per six-bottle case
95+ points Vinous

Alvaro Palacios L’Ermita 1996
1 case available, $2,700 per six-bottle case
(95-96) points Wine Advocate

Alvaro Palacios L’Ermita 1997
1 case available, $1,950 per six-bottle case
(91-93) points Vinous

Alvaro Palacios L’Ermita 2000
4 bottles available, $450 per bottle
(95-98) points Vinous

Alvaro Palacios L’Ermita 2001
1 case available, $2,850 per six-bottle case
96 points Wine Advocate

Alvaro Palacios L’Ermita 2002
4 bottles available, $395 per bottle
94 points Vinous

Alvaro Palacios L’Ermita 2004
1 case available, $3,300 per six-bottle case
98 points Wine Advocate

Alvaro Palacios L’Ermita 2005
2 bottles available, $650 per bottle
98 points Wine Advocate 

Alvaro Palacios L’Ermita 2006
1 case available, $4,200 per six-bottle case
96 points Wine Advocate

Alvaro Palacios L’Ermita 2010
2 bottles available, $995 per bottle
99 points Wine Advocate