Familia Torres Secret Del Priorat 2021

Simply put, the Torres Family are the top dogs throughout Spain. They have historical connections to Penedes, Conca de Barbera, Priorat, Rioja, Ribera del Duero, you name it.

Their family name carries crazy weight as evidenced by their 10 straight years atop Drinks International’s ‘Most Admired European Brands’ and for great reason: they’ve ruled the roost in Spain for generations and produced unrivaled quality.

Recently, I had the pleasure of tasting a few of their wines from the Priorat region, home to Spain’s most expensive and age-worthy Reds. The big boys here stand toe to toe with top-shelf Bordeaux. ​​L’Ermita from Alvaro Palacios recently earned a perfect score from the Wine Advocate. It goes for $1400/btl. The famous Clos Erasmus bottling will run you about $175/bottle at least when it’s released, before it quickly spikes in the secondary market.

But to find the best values in Priorat, I rely exclusively on the family with the best reputation for making them. They even have a “secret” weapon that they argue is the highest quality Priorat for the money made anywhere. That’s pretty tough to argue against.

Pulled from steep slopes at the foot of the Sierra del Montsant, the Secret de Priorat from the Torres Family is a gorgeous blend of Garnacha, Cariñena, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah made off llicorella slate soils. It’s medium-palate yet delicate with an opaque shade, packed with blackberries, blueberries and spicy peppery notes.It’s compact yet manages to stay velvety and finished polished and long.