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Earth-to-Glass Purity from a Montsant Radical
To anyone who knows Dominik Huber’s ground-breaking Priorat wines, Terroir al Límit’s move into Montsant was always going to result in something unique. The genesis of Terroir Sense Fronteres began in 2015 when Huber finally acquired his iconic Garnacha vineyard, Les Manyes. As part of this purchase, Huber was also able to obtain an adjacent four-hectare parcel of Garnacha lying just metres across the Priorat border in DO Montsant. The vineyard is called Els Montalts. While the terroir here is almost identical to Les Manyes, Montsant is another DO, so a new project was born.
Montsant’s vineyards lie at widely varying altitudes—Terroir Sense Fronteres’ vines are spread between 350 and 800 metres. And while Priorat’s famous llicorella soils are also found in Montsant, there is more variety here, with clay, sand, gypsum and limestone all playing their part. As well as Garnacha from the Els Montalts site, the Terroir Sense Fronteres portfolio includes Garnacha from the cool, high-altitude slopes of Figuera and parcels of Garnacha Blanca, Macabeo, Garnacha and Cariñena from mature parcels around Capçanes.
Huber and Peceric are adamant that, while Montsant does not share Priorat's fame, its finest terroirs are every bit as exciting—a point entirely born out in the quality of this grower’s wines
Aside from a plethora of exciting terroirs and the old vines on offer, Montsant DO regulations allow for the production of lower alcohol wines. Huber has always said he would pick his Priorat wines at lower alcohol if it did not mean losing his DOCa status, so the Montsant project has brought the element of freedom he has been craving.
Terroir al Limit’s talented, Serbian-born vigneron Tatjana Peceric runs this project, and her rare touch with high-grown Garnacha and Cariñena is cast, clear as crystal, across these wines. Except for the skin-contact white Brisat, the wines ferment as whole bunches in concrete, amphorae and stainless steel, and extraction is as gentle as possible. No bells, no whistles and zero oak—just the purity and finesse that only a special place, meticulously farmed, can gift.
Peceric is adamant that while Montsant does not share Priorat’s fame, its finest terroirs are every bit as exciting—a point entirely borne out in the quality of these wines. They carry the unique mineral signature of their slate- and limestone-rich soils and have the kind of freshness, lightness of being, crunchy/juiciness and textural sensuality one usually associates with the top cellars of Burgundy and the Rhône Valley.
There’s more depth and sinew than in the entry level wine, with layers of wild berry, spice and mountain herbs wrapped in silky tannins and driven by altitude-derived rocky freshness. It’s silky and persistent with a Burgundian-like shape and engaging chalky texture, which tapers to a pristine finish. It’s a wine that will clearly benefit from air and a couple of years in bottle, but it’s also absolutely delicious now. A joy to drink.
“... We're amazed by the first vintage of Terroir Sense Fronteres” James Suckling
Country
Spain
Primary Region
Montsant, Catalunya
People
Winemaker: Tatjana Peceric
Availability
National