2021 Clos Figueras Tinto Clos Figueres Priorat

Christopher Cannan acquired Clos Figueras in 1997 on the recommendation of Rene Barbier, one of the original architects of Priorat's modern revival. The estate sits on the schist-rich slopes of Gratallops, where old Grenache and Carignan vines pull mineral intensity from fractured rock that looks like it belongs in a geology museum.

This wine helped bring fame and fortune to Priorat when the region was still proving itself to the world. It's drawn from 80-year-old vines—the kind of gnarled, low-yielding survivors that give concentration without effort.

The cellar work reflects a clear shift away from the heavy extraction that marked earlier Priorat vintages. Fermentation and aging are managed to preserve aromatic detail and definition—less international style, more terroir transparency. The result is a wine with medium-plus body, medium-plus tannin, and the kind of elegance that makes you forget the word "powerful" used to define this region.

Black cherry and plum anchor the profile, joined by dried herbs and a swirl of black forest cake richness. The finish stretches long and clean. At five years in, the wine is just opening up—give it an hour in the decanter tonight, or let it evolve in a cold cellar for another decade.