Hailing from a prestigious Rioja winemaking family and having trained at the legendary Château Pétrus, Álvaro Palacios travelled to the rugged region of Priorat in 1989. Settling in the village of Gratallops, he immediately recognised the viticultural potential of this dramatic, sun-baked landscape. The Mediterranean climate here is intense, delivering over three thousand hours of sunshine a year with very little rainfall. To balance the intense heat, cooling winds sweep inland from the nearby sea, allowing the grapes to ripen fully while retaining a beautiful, natural freshness.
The estate’s vineyards are a study in extremes. In the valley floors, where the soils are slightly richer, varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah thrive. However, the true magic happens on the severe, free-draining slate hillsides. Here, incredibly low-yielding old vines of Garnacha and Samsó (Carignan) are deeply rooted into the rock. Because the slopes are so treacherous, traditional farming methods remain completely unchanged, with horses still employed to carefully work the land. This demanding environment produces deeply concentrated, structured red wines famous for their striking mineral character.
By combining these ancient, rugged vineyards with highly precise winemaking techniques, the estate quickly created some of the most sought-after bottles in Spain. Their early success with Finca Dofí paved the way for the iconic L’Ermita in 1993. Widely regarded as one of the country's finest and rarest pours, L’Ermita is crafted from a tiny, organically farmed plot spanning just over one hectare. Planted on a cool, north-east facing slope, some of the vines here have reached a century in age, yielding tiny amounts of fruit that translate into a wine of profound depth and historic significance.