Tasting notes:

Discovering a love of the sea, environmental biologist Mariona Alabau and her winemaker husband Gergö Borbély combine their passion for wine with their equal adoration for the depths of the sea. Thus has developed the Elixir of the Sea. This special example is made from small plots of grapes grown in the Priorat region, blended and aged for 12 months in French oak barrels, then bottled and aged for a further 6 months in ‘metal cages’ (lobster cages?) 26 metres under the sea, where the bottles acquire barnacles and the wines, distinctive flavours. Each bottle is uniquely beautiful. The wine is stunning. With a deep ruby colour the aromas exude mixed black fruits and red berries with red roses, violets and rhododendrons and gentle creamy oak and cedarwood accents. Full and rich, the palate has bright acidity and noticeable silky tannins. Textured, layered and intense with a lingering finish, this truly spectacular mélange of varieties is a must-buy. Perhaps the purity of Grenache is not obvious, but the wine is so delicious that it deserves a place on a discerning table. When I re-create my Millenium-eve Spanish-inspired paella, this is the wine I would choose. [Patricia Stefanowicz MW]