Alex's Notes on Monte del Frà
Alvaro Palacios is a legend of Spanish wine and one of the country's finest winemakers. Born in 1964 in Alfaro, Rioja, into the Palacios Remondo winemaking family, he grew up immersed in viticulture and cellar work.
After studying oenology and working abroad, including at the famous Château Pétrus in Pomerol, Bordeaux, he returned to Spain with an independent mindset and a determination to very much do his own thing rather than taking the safest route in joining the family firm. He clearly had the strong pioneering instinct from a young age and he has since been hugely influential.
Finca Dofi is one of the most emblematic single‑vineyard wines of Priorat and a leading example of the modern Spanish fine‑wine renaissance.
The vineyard and the resulting wine represents the fusion of old‑vine Garnacha, its dramatic black slate soils (known as Llicorella), and a Burgundian‑inspired focus on site expression.
Whilst L’Ermita is Alvaro's most famous and rarest wine, sadly unaffordable to most of us, Finca Dofi is the wine that he first created in Priorat and remains the reference point for understanding his style. For us mere mortals, it gives us a glimpse into what he achieves with L'Ermita without the need to part with up to (or indeed over) £1000 a bottle!
Arriving In Priorat - Winemaking & Ethos
Alvaro arrived in Priorat in the late 80's and joined a small group of pioneers (René Barbier, Daphne Glorian, Carles Pastrana, José Luis Pérez) who became convinced of the region’s potential due to the llicorella soils and the ancient Garnacha vines.
Garnacha being the Spanish name for Grenache found particularly widely in the southern areas of the Rhône, Languedoc-Roussillon, Australia, and of course in Spain - in Rioja it is second only to Tempranillo in importance. It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditions. It is believed to have originated in Spain, not France.
Modern day styles of Garnacha/Grenache have increasingly been moving away from big, rich, alcoholic wines to something lighter and fresher, particularly in Spain (e.g. those from the Gredos mountains near Madrid) and in Australia (especially in the areas near Adelaide e.g. Mclaren Vale). These wines are more like Pinot Noir or Nebbiolo (Barolo/Barbaresco) - lighter in colour and body, if generally higher in alcohol than Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo. The direction of travel, certainly, for modern day winemakers is for wines of greater finesse.
As an aside, if you have ever drunk Sardinian 'Cannonau' - the best examples of which are delicious - then you have in fact been drinking Garnacha/Grenache.
In the late 80's, Priorat was a remote, depopulated region with abandoned terraces of very old vines and little commercial presence. Any wine made in Priorat prior to their arrival was dirt cheap, poorly made, and often blended into nondescript bulk wines.
Alvaro realised just how special these old vines were - not very productive but capable of yielding very high quality fruit. Beginning in the 12th Century, Carthusian monks had painstakingly terraced and cultivated this rugged landscape, only for it to have been largely abandoned. Alvaro set out to not only bring it back to life but to yield wines of world-class stature.
As the vines are so low-yielding, he knew that commercially the only route to take was to produce wines of high quality and longevity. In any case, he was only ever interested in quality!
Alvaro makes an average of 1,200 cases of Finca Dofi every year - not very much at all but when compared to L'Ermita's average production of 120 cases, it sounds like quite a lot. He does, though, make around 33,000 cases of other Priorat wines, all reds, with his Camins del Priorat being his entry-level wine.
Finca Dofi is fermented in new oak barrels and it receives regular punch-downs of the 'cap' - the cap being the grape skins that float at the top of the barrel or vat. Punching this cap of grape skins down into the juice/wine extracts skin-derived colour, flavour and phenolic compounds (e.g. tannins) - it forms part of the maceration process. Most winemakers use specialised stainless steel punch-down tools such as large round discs on poles or paddles. On a small scale it is not uncommon for a winemaker to use their hands or feet!
The maceration period for Finca Dofi typically lasts around 40 to 45 days, prior to 18 months of ageing in large oak vats before bottling.
In terms of style, Finca Dofi is known for:
- Ripe blackberry and plum aromas and flavours infused with mediterranean herbs and exotic spices, alongside subtle black tea and floral notes.
- Velvety texture with incredible balance and vibrant freshness: Alvaro is famous for his exceptional tannin management - the tannins being refined and 'melted' rather than taut and muscular.
- A very long, mineral‑driven finish.
- Being a great food wine.
TasteAtlas describes it as “velvety and elegant, with balanced structure, vibrant freshness, and a long, mineral-driven finish.”
Alvaro has expertly combined power and richness with great breed and finesse.
Terroir - the environment that dictates viticultural and winemaking methods, and shapes the wine
Finca Dofi's old vines, some around 100 years old, receive more than 3,000 hours of sunshine a year, less than 380mm annual rainfall, are cooled by inland winds and feel the influence of both the 600m altitude of this mountainous region and of the sea around 50km away. In combination with knowing the right time to harvest the fruit and top-notch winemaking, the cooling winds and altitude ensure the wines have freshness and elegance.
The mountainous topography of Priorat has ensured cultivation methods have remained largely unchanged and horses are still employed in the steep vineyards. The result is wines with a rounded structure and a fresh, mineral quality - powerful yet refined.
Harvesting is by hand only, ensuring meticulous selection in the vineyard, while manual grape sorting also takes place on arrival of the fruit at the winery.
Sustainability & Bio-dynamic Viticulture
To simply say that Finca Dofi is run 'sustainably' just doesn't do it justice.
The vineyards are farmed bio-dynamically and as you can see from the photos here, Alvaro uses horses to work the steep, terraced vineyards. No diesel emissions here! While he also eschews the use of chemical fertilisers, herbicides, and pesticides - important for not just the health of the environment, but also for you the drinker. We just don't talk enough about pesticide residues in wine....
So what is bio-dynamic viticulture? Here are the main points that it covers, in something of a nutshell:
- it combines organic farming principles - zero use of chemical fertilisers, herbicides, and pesticides - with specific biodynamic practices.
- these biodynamic practices involve spiritual and cosmic/astrological elements with a conviction that the phases of the moon and the zodiac signs have an influence on the growth stages and health of the vine, and that these determine the best times for the various jobs that have to take place in the vineyard: planting, pruning, and harvesting all follow a lunar calendar.
- biodiversity/holistic farming approach for a balanced ecosystem by incorporating diverse crops (e.g. cover crops in vineyard rows) and habitats to enhance soil health and to control pests via natural predators. This also involves preventing any soil or water pollution.
- natural preparations to enhance vine and soil health so that vines are in balance, not dependent on chemicals, and better able to combat disease via their natural defences.
Preparations include various herbs, minerals, plants (e.g. nettles), flowers and animal manure, often made into what they call 'teas' and sprayed onto the vines. Probably the most famous preparation is the 'horn manure' which involves stuffing cow horns with cow manure and burying them in the ground during the winter. This is said to revitalise the soil.
- Minimal intervention in the winery: ensuring the grapes express their natural qualities without excessive manipulation from the winemaker or additives.
If I owned a vineyard, I would certainly aim to be organic in the first instance and then bio-dynamic later on, as the latter requires quite a bit of research and training in terms of putting together all of the preparations. Although I am not sure I would seek bio-dynamic certification as this is costly, and I think I'd incorporate only those elements that I thought made the most difference to my vineyard and to wine quality.
Being bio-dynamic is highly labour intensive and I am full of admiration for those who have converted. The dedication required is insane.
Some naysayers/narrow thinkers see bio-dynamics as a little too esoteric and lacking in scientific rigour. However, when it comes to both organic and bio-dynamic, I do think I see a difference versus 'conventional' viticulture: the wines seem to have a seamless 'fluidity', balance, and vitality that sets them apart, but most importantly given I am for some reason sensitive to red wine, I find I suffer much less or not at all from organic/bio-dynamic reds even when they are high in alcohol.
Hats off to Alvaro! A stellar winemaker.....