The 2009 Quest is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot that is fermented in stainless steel and rock vessels and aged for 15 months in French oak (70% new). The Cabernet Franc is pronounced on the nose even though there is only about 20-25%. Included in the blend. It offers notes of bell pepper and a touch of dried blood. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy but fine tannins, crisp acidity and fine tension, with notes of blackberry, bell pepper and a touch of sea salt. It has very fine delineation towards the finish. Excellent. Drink 2013-2020. It was a long, long drive to visit Castell d’Encus, located in the foothills of the Pyrenees at almost 1,000 metres altitude at the end of a never-ending winding lane that should be sign-posted “middle of nowhere.” It was 10:45 p.m. when we finally arrived in the pitch black. Winemaker, former director of Torres and partner in Priorat’s “Ferrer-Bobet,” Raul Bobet came to greet me. It had been a long day. I was knackered. My palate was asking where the hell dinner had gone? Fortunately, my palate was about to taste a portfolio of extremely accomplished, delicious, intellectually satisfying wines that formed one of the highlights of my trip. This is an example of extreme, obsessive winemaking, Raul often asking himself what the hell he was doing. What inspired him was the chance discovery of “rock fermenters.” These are medieval vessels carved into the stone that must have been used by the local monks. They were using gravity long before the Bordelais were crowing about it. Raul has trialled these fermenters and is now beginning to ferment his entire portfolio in them. It gives a new meaning to the word: “minerality.” (Check the winery’s website to see the fermenters: www.encuseng.weebly.com) Importers: VINoVI&Co, 401 West Marshall Avenue, Ferndale, MI 48220 and United Cellars, 2248 NW 82nd Avenue, Doral, FL 33122