5 Familia Torres wines awarded the highest ratings by Wine Spectator
Vilafranca del Penedès, July 2021. Familia Torres wines continue to score very highly in prestigious international publications. Most recently, a handful were featured in the June edition of the well-regarded American magazine Wine Spectator as part of a selection of Spanish wines tasted by the associate editor Gillian Sciaretta.
The list includes 5 red wines from Familia Torres, with scores ranging from 95 – the highest score awarded in the article – to 92 points, out of a possible 100. The wines in question are from 4 Catalan appellations of origin that are closely linked to the winemaking family’s history: Reserva Real 2016 from Penedès, the family’s place of origin; Mas de la Rosa 2017 and Salmos 2017 from Priorat; Grans Muralles 2016 from Conca de Barberà; and Purgatori 2016 from Costers del Segre.
The Familia Torres wine that received the highest score of 95 points was Mas de la Rosa 2017 (DOQ Priorat), winning over the taster’s palate with its elegance, tension and vibrant acidity. For Sciaretta, ‘this red offers seamless complexity with cherry, forest floor, currant and vivid mineral undertones’. She describes it using the adjectives ‘harmonious’, ‘engaging’ and ‘complex’.
Grans Muralles 2016 (DO Conca de Barberà) earned a score of 94 points thanks to its vigorous flavour with notes ‘of steeped black cherry and currant that are teamed up with graphite, wild herb and espresso underpinnings’, as well as its vibrant acidity, which ‘accentuates the tea, spice and orange peel elements, marking the long finish’.
Sciaretta gave Purgatori 2016 (DO Costers del Segre) 93 points, describing it as a powerful red but with a refined character, where ‘sinewy tannins give bold structure, with spice, mineral and wild Mediterranean herb giving depth to the finish’.
Reserva Real 2016 (DO Penedès) also received 93 points. This Penedès classic is described as ‘a powerful red, with a muscular profile marked with currant, plum and toast flavours, underpinned with anise, leather and cedar accents’, with polished and inviting tannins and a ‘mineral-laden finish’.
Finally, Salmos 2017 (DOQ Priorat) was given 92 points and described as a ‘polished and engaging red, with packed-in flavours of kirsch, ripe currant and anise’, where the ‘nicely integrated acidity keep this harmonious and balanced’.