Terroir al Limit is, quite possibly, the hottest name in Spain. Each vintage, winemaker Dominik Huber ratchets the quality up yet another notch. Supplies are miniscule, but we were lucky enough to get in on the ground floor, and now have a special opportunity to taste with the Dominik himself. Virtually, of course.

Early on, Huber felt the prevalent model for Priorat - ultraripe grapes combined with extracted winemaking and aging in new oak - didn't do the region justice. The vineyards they were working with, and the terroir of the region were so unique and exceptional that a different approach needed to be taken to express their authenticity and quality. Earlier harvests, little to no oak, lower extraction and moderate alcohol levels, whole cluster fermentation with no punching down, and all with an eye to revealing the world-class quality of their vineyards. Well, the results are off the charts, with ratings through the roof, but not just from one or two critics. The acclaim stretches across every publication, demonstrating that "refined and elegant" are not code words for esoteric and geeky! 

After a fateful tasting at the famed Can Roca restaurant followed by the tasting menu, Dominik Huber became convinced that not enough attention was being paid to white wines in the Priorat. Out of the dozen courses he had, only about three were suited to red wines so when he got back to Torroja he set about creating two new wines at Terroir al Limit – Terra de Cuques and Pedra de Guix. Naturally when Dominik launched Terroir Històric in 2015, the white wasn’t going to be an afterthought and it in fact represents half of his production.

Terroir Historic White 2017

Sale $24.99
Buy 6 or more $21.99

91 pts James Suckling

Unlike Terroir al Limit, which was founded on the Burgundian principal of site specific wines, Terroir Històric is meant to showcase the complexities of the Priorat in its entirety. A blend of Garnatxa Blanca and Macabeu, the Terroir Historic Blanc is pressed whole cluster, and ferments and ages for 6 months in a 5000L concrete tank. Nothing added, nothing taken away. To quote Dominik: “The French have a very beautiful expression, they call it vin de soif. You drink Terroir Historic not with your mind but with you belly and emotions. With Terroir Historic you are hungry and thirsty and want to socialize because in the end this is the fundamental thing about wine, you share it with your friends and family.”

“Lots of candied citrus fruit and dried pears on the nose of this striking, dry white Priorat. Medium-full with plenty of fruit, a hint of tannin supporting the acidity and a clean long finish.” JS

Terroir al Limit Terre de Cuques 2015

Sale $34.99

94 pts James Suckling / 91+ pts Wine Advocate

blend of 90% Pedro Ximenez from Porrera balanced with Moscatel from Molar, fermented with skins and stems for ten days and matured in tank for 16 months.

Terra de Cuques is a white wine made in the same way that Dominik Huber makes his reds: whole clusters are layered in a fermentation tank where the weight of the bunches creates enough juice for fermentation to begin spontaneously then after 1-2 weeks on the skins, the wine is pressed and finishes fermentation in a concrete tank. This method infuses the wine with the phenolic compounds of the skins without extracting the tannins. The Cuques enjoys a year in concrete and shows beautiful freshness and lithe, serious focus. Natural yeast, spontaneous fermentation gives it a wild, lively palate and decadent fruit finish. 

“This whole berry-fermented white made with Pedro Ximénez and muscat is pretty stunning. No wood. Full body, fresh and phenolic. Very serious and stylish.” JS

“There is a pleasant bitterness in the finish that combines nicely with the austere minerality. Tasty, and very persistent. This is a wine that calls for food.” WA


Or reply. The wine is available now in Chapel Hill. Wednesday, as ordered, in Hillsborough.