The 2010 Cartoixa is a blend of 65% Garnacha, 25% Carinena and then equal parts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah with 70% of the wine coming from slate soils and the remaining 30% from vines grown on argilo-calcareous slopes. Part of the Garnacha is fermented whole cluster in cement vats and the wine ages in different-sized French oak barrels depending on grape variety. The result is a dark, brooding effort with ripe black fruit, balsamic aromas and clear hints from the slate soils. The palate is full-bodied, with round, velvety tannins and great persistence and acidity. Very tasty. A big Priorat, true to its roots. Drink now-2022. There is a big change in the wines of Scala Dei since winemaker Ricard Rofes, (who has previously been in charge of the wines from the Cooperative del Masroig and worked with Alfredo Arribas in Priorat and Montsant), took charge with the 2007 vintage. I spoke to him after tasting the wines, as I wanted to understand what he’s doing. He’s going back to the way the old wines were produced –Scala Dei bottled the first wine under the Priorat appellation from the 1974 vintage – and as Ricard told me, “Each year we vinify separately some of the fifty-something different vineyards Scala Dei owns to show the different terroirs.” The wines might be fermented with part of the stems in cement vats and aged in used, big-volume oak containers. In 2011, a very warm vintage, “I only did Masdeu, our highest vineyard, close to 800 meters altitude with a calcareous and clay soil. Most of what we have is Garnacha and in 2010 there are three different single-vineyard Garnacha wines: Sant Antoni, Artigots and La Creueta, and in different vintages we’ll bottle different vineyards.” The two wines I tasted are back at the top. Well done! Importer: Avenui Brands, MD; tel. (410) 884-9463