The 2006 Coma Vella is a blend of 40% Garnacha Peluda, 20% Garnacha Pais, 30% Carinena and 10% Syrah sourced from eighteen identified plots and fermented in cement tanks. The wine is raised in 225-litre barrels using 20% new oak for 12 months. The light and airy nose is very well-defined with crisp red berries, wild hedgerow and a touch of slate (not from the rocks placed near my glass). The palate is medium-bodied with a crisp, tannic entry. The rustic red fruits are cut through by a keen thread of acidity and the finish is governed by grippy, dry tannins that are borrowed from Pessac-Leognan. There is sufficient earthy red fruit to lend this wine an attractive masculine profile that I find natural and refined. Drink now-2019+. When proprietor Pere Rovira escorted us to a viewpoint to survey his unusually large 125-hectare estate located in Bellmunt de Priorat, just as dusk was falling, I could see little in the gloom. Still, it was nice to see the stars come out. Formerly known as Masia Baril until the Rovira family acquired it in 1998, the estate is home to 45 hectares of vine nestled amongst the olive groves and almond trees. Tasting back at the family house with his daughters Marta and Pilar, I found much to admire in their wines, which I felt were suffused with a sense of honesty and refreshing lack of pretension – wine to drink rather than stand back and admire. All vinifications from their multitude of parcels are completed separately and a blind tasting in December allocates “A,” “B” and “C” grades that are the basis from Clos Fonta (their flagship label predominantly old vines), Coma Vella (usually around 20% from old vines) and entry-level “Bellmunt” blends. Importer: C & P Wines, New York, NY; tel. (917) 846-1708