Mas d'en Gil Priorat, Bellmunt | 2021

I’ve loved the wines of Mas d’En Gil for twenty years and counting, ever since I served a bottle of their “Coma Vella” to Danny Meyer and Jay McInerney. The modern story of the estate begins in 1998, when Pere Rovira Carbonell purchased the 19th-century Mas d’En Gil property and restored its historic name. Since 2008, his daughters Marta and Pilar have become the driving force, helping debunk Priorat's beefhead reputation. Through biodynamic farming and a gentler touch in the cellar, with less oak and less extraction, they’re producing wines of pretty and place. That evolution is especially clear in Bellmunt, their “Beautiful Mountain” vineyard in Priorat. Planted to Grenache and Carignan in the 1990s, it produces the estate’s youngest red, though there is nothing simple about it. Between exacting farming, low yields, and a thoughtful aging program that draws on French, Hungarian, and Slovenian oak in vessels ranging from 225 to 5,000 liters, Bellmunt crushes the competition for the price. Grenache leads with brambly fruit, dusty raspberry, and that savory flicker of cherry ham, while Carignan brings an exotic streak of red-toned sweetness and spice. At 14.5% alcohol, it still finishes with ease, thanks to a cushion of acidity and mellow tannins that keep everything supple and composed. ~Allegra Angelo