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For those of you out there that crave fat, dry, ostentatious Cabernet, you’re reading the right article. Priorat is a small area south of Barcelona in the Catalan department of modern Spain. This exciting curiosity rests within the greater DO of Montsant, in the ripping cliff faces that jet out from the landscape all over this rocky hike.
Don’t let its beauty fool you, Priorat is known for its wines of incredible reservedness and beauty, with striking power, and brash fruit. It hasn’t always been a famous wine-growing personality amongst the bottlescape of modern drinking, however. Phylloxera nearly destroyed any wine industry that had existed in Spain, and the remote nature of Priorat could not save it from the scourge of the vine louse.
This region has suffered form the turmoil associated with the fallout of the Spanish Civil War, and the poverty stricken Catalonian province, of which had historically been associated with the vast majority of industrial strength in Spain for generations. It wasn’t until the fifties that vigneron were successfully able to begin to replant their vines.
Realistically, the success that Priorat enjoys now as a serious wine-growing region is more of a recent development and follows behind the bandwagon of riper, richer wines: a trend that dominated the nineties. Priorat got its name form the cloisters of the Carthursian Monks that established their Priory in Scala Dei; and, seeking adequate wine for communion, they began to cultivate grapes in the region. Unlike in Burgundy, there is not a significant roster of documentation pointing to the establishment of single-vineyard plots with focus on terroir.
An important note here: the Catalan, that is, the people of Priorat, are not culturally Spanish, they don’t even speak Spanish (Castilian), in day-to-day life. Their culture is very distinct, and this plays out in their winemaking as well. Despite its humble origins rooted in monastic diplomacy, this area has taken the wine world by storm - an invasion of sorts.
This all began after some of the newer regional vines had reached their twentieth birthday and were finally ready to procure the title of old vines, associated with lower yields and higher quality. In the nineteen seventies, the wines of Priorat were mostly fabricated and distributed by none-to-do cooperatives pushing out rather ordinary bottles of Red and White. Local winemaker René Barbier is mostly associated with the changeover to single-estate bottling. Here and his two confidants, fellow vigneron, Álvaro Palacios, and Carlos Pastrana, purchased their own winery and combined a recently purchased estate to begin bottling their own wines. By the mid-eighties other local growers had caught wind of this trend and were beginning to bottle small amounts of their better yield themselves as well - in the nineties, selling to cooperatives was basically a faint memory. These wines really began to get the market buzzing for affordable and interesting rich reds with vast complexity and old-world charm.
Our three dashing vigneron began single-parcel bottling on their first vintages, by vineyard names, which they had conceived. - for the years ’89-’91. They would truck their polished crop from outposts in Barber, Placios, and other towns in the surrounding area; building walled, encamped vineyards to protect the vines from the harsh mistral wind, and cold northerly winds that rush in from the northern Atlantic.
All of their vineyards, in very Burgundian fashion, were named Clos, due to the surrounding protection of the walls. Clos is the French word for walled vineyard. Quality in the region skyrocketed, and vintners began to toy with the idea of organic and biodynamic farming. Some say the world of wine often moves at a snails pace, but this was rapid overnight change driven by a few sole pioneers with a vision for change. The most famous of which were Clos Martinet, Clos Erasmus, and Clos de l’Obac.
Since then, the area has been associated with the fortitudinous Châteauneuf-du-Pape, due to its Mistral influence, depth of character, and its use of similar grapes. In Priorat, the most predominant grape in any blended wine will likely be Garnatxa, Catalan word for the grape Grenache, which originated here. You will see the vast majority of older vines in Priorat planted with this grape. The varietal holds a majority of general plantings in Priorat at forty-one percent of the overall crop. Samso, or Carignan is next, at twenty-three percent.
These may be the two dominant grape varietals, but others are allowed as well including Ull de Llebre (Tempranillo), Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. Grenache is a thin-skinned varietal associated with the Southern Rhône, but when ripe, has the capability to produce incredible black fruit flavors, earthiness and a crisp mineral finish. As far as white wins, Grenache Blanc is the show stopper, while Pedro Ximenez, and Macabeo, and Chenin Blanc, are also commonly planted.
Traditionally these wines were sold as single varietal bottling, a trend that began to be sherked in the nineties in favor of blends. But, as with all trends, take bell-bottoms for example, the single-varietal bottles are back in fashion as well so some traditionalist houses have abandoned their blends altogether, but most wineries offer incredible blended wines in the vein of the incredible Châteauneuf wines that they are often compared to.
Most grapes are trellised in modern vineyards, this keeps their canopy spread, so the sun can ripen the skins even at the altitudes of Priorat. A lot of traditionalists are begining to go back to bowl training to protect vines from the winds, and without a doubt, a lot of wineries use the old system because their dearest vines, those with over thirty years of age, are in their prime producing their best fruit.
Soils in the vineyards vary from limestone marl, to schistuous outcroppings of top soil slate, known as llicorella. This is reddish-black slate with mica deposits and a burden of calcareousness. These incredibly poor soils force roots deeper underground to find water. These factors ultimately lead to these wines showing nice complexity and reservedness not typically associated with hotter climates. Because of the altitude, these larger slate stones can work to hold heat near the roots and prevent the vines from freezing when temperatures drop at night.
Very similar to the High Plains of Texas, Priorat can be prone to significant diurnal shift, which generally is a very good thing for high quality grape production. Diurnal shift is fancy-talk for cold nights, hot days. These temperature swings slow ripening allowing for more complexities to develop. While the sun is ripening the skins, allowing for softer tannin during the day, ripening of the flesh of the grapes is delayed.
Though the region is basically in the desert, it is very cold here during their winters, which fortunately are quite short. The summer, on the other hand can be long and brutally hot, though good canopy management must be practiced to allow exposure of the skins to the sun. The higher up the area, generally nearness to the winter season brings increased worry of frost. There are significant differences in altitude between vineyards, so while one plot may be bearing good fruit, another may be lagging behind.
The aforementioned mistral wind comes ripping in from the east, and can send some vigneron into a tizzy when it does. Grapes must be rooted down and trellised well to avoid being pulled from the ground. A lot of traditionalists, thus, have trained their old vines into basket-woven nests close to the ground. This is called en vaso. Others use low guyot, a more modern style that allows for easier canopy management. Due to the low canopies, heat, arid conditions and lack of nutrients in the soil, Priorat is one of the lowest yielding regions not just in Spain, but in the whole world.
Topographically, the Montstant mountain is the northernmost, and highest region of Priorat. Harvests in the surrounding areas of La Morera de Montsant can happen up to three weeks later than the rest of Priorat. What these resulting wines lack in strength, they make up for in minerality, focus, and structure. Montstant protects the Priorat region form dangerous weather, providing a large swath of areas with significant rain shadow - rain shadow is the force by which inclinations in land block denser clouds, usually rain or hail clouds from crossing over due to the shear lift in altitude required to do so. On one side of a mountain range it may be raining, but on the other it is dry. Montstant also acts to block a lot of freezing continental northerly winds from entering the valleys, and freezing the grapes in the latter seasons.
Though Priorat had been a classified region, or DO since 1954, in 2000 the Catalan government had approved the move to DOQ, a step of quality issued by the Spanish government that is a mark above. The only other DOQ in Spain is Rioja. It wasn’t until 2009 that this request for elevated regional status by the Catalan government was approved by the offices in Madrid, leaving the area in limbo for a few years. This new DOQ stretches from the Montsant Valley, southward to the Siurana. This means that this egg-shaped region is totally encased by the broader region of Montsant.
The DOQ specified different stages of classification to categorize wine producing villages within Priorat, in a surprisingly very Burgundian fashion. There are five different levels, you may see these crop on on bottles you’ve noticed in the store before - or perhaps not, higher classification levels in this tiered system are hard to come by. Also important to remember is that all wine made from village-quality plots or higher quality, must be made of the native expressions of Garnatxa and Samso only.
DOQ Priorat: These meet all the standards to qualify as a Priorat wine. They may be blends of multiple villages, young vines, or simply do not meet the qualifications for a village wine.
Vins de Vila: Literally village wine. These are progeny of the soils of one specific village of the twelve major villages within Priorat.
Paratge Wines: These are highly regarded wines from the various twelve villages that specifically reflect their unique expressions of Terroir.
Vinya Classificada: These are old vine vineyards, with crop that is produced from vineyards where at least eighty percent of the vines have aged twenty years or older. These wines express Terroir notably well, and they come from single vineyards within the twelve villages that makeup the Priorat DOQ.
Gran Vinya Classificada: The same the latter, but vines must be aged thirty-five years.
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Priorat shares aging requirements with Rioja, and a lot of other Spanish and Italian wine regions, in that there are multiple tiers worth of aging that consumers can find noted on the bottle. This obviously requires approval by the governing body, and aging parameters are of course minimum requirements, often producers in Priorat choose to extend these aging periods.
More and more we see producers sherk the requirements alltogether, and label the wines Vino de Guarda (aged wine) especially if they are not looking to add a plethora of oak flavors to their product - this indicates eighteen months on oak, six in bottle. Fermentado en Barrica means that the producer has chosen only to age the wine in oak for fewer than six months. The DOQ specifies in bottle vs. on oak. I liken this system informally to the reserva system.
Criança oak six months, eighteen months bottle.
Reserva oak twelve months, twenty-four months bottle.
Gran Reserva oak twenty-four months, thirty-six months bottle.
Let’s discuss the twelve villages of the Priorat DOQ. Above, there is a helpful map which outlines the entire DOQ, surrounded by Montsant DO. Each village has its own unique winemaking style. The villages are as follows: La Morera de Montsant, Bellmunt del Priorat, Scala dei, Gratallops, el Lloar, Poboleda, Porrera, Torroja del Priorat, la Vilella Alta, la Vilella Baixa, Masos de Falset, and Solanes del Molar.
La Morera de Montsant: Towering over the vineyards of the other villages at almost seven hundred and fifty meters in some places, this northerly giant is the regions reserved powerhouse of highly complex, and beautiful wines, noted for their structure and delicate minerality. Or at least, as delicate as Priorat can be. Soils are an amiable slate schist, with earthen marl of red dirt, while plots vary, this is one of the larger villages in terms of overall space and production. Wines typically give flavors of blackberry balsamic, dynamic chalky minerality, palatable dry allspice, and bourbon.
Bellmut del Priorat: In the far south of the region, this region with its somewhat southeasterly aspect makes for some of the richer, and weightier wines. The soils are the illustrious sandy well-draining schist which you can find all over the region, along with, of course, llicorella. Wines here are known for their bold oakingess, tasteful black fruit, generally rounder pluminess, and supple conditioned leather.
Scala Dei: The place that all of this region began. Here is where the monestary is located. Today it houses a museum, but for a time this housed the original regional vintners. This hamlet lies in a valley near Montsant, neighboring two other northerly provinces. It is quite a small growing area. Wines here focus on the traditional flavors of are chocolate, brioche, blckcurrant and leather.
Gratallops: The central most region, Gratallops which houses the meeting between the two major rivers of the region, the Montsant and the Siurana, meaning a lot of the climate is regalted by the forces of the river, keeping things warm during the moments of diurnal shift, and during the changing of the seasons. This central area was the birthplace of the concept of clos; those walled-vineyards that are so recognizable. Vanilla, spice, and cherry are predominant flavors here. Wines are reserved and delicate, with dark fruit. The soils are llicorella.
The famous Clos Mogador embodies the regional taste of this terroir. It embews supple perfume, feral earthiness, some semblance of calcareous minerality and slate, with overtimes of cassis and raspberry. The complexity is impressive but, harmonious. There is a wealth of body that does not overshadow the wines incredible structure. The finish is mostly floral, and tannin is plump.
El Lloar: This is the rockiest, and hilliest terrain, marked by large cliff faces that separate this DOQ from the Montsant DO. It is the furthest west region, and the terrain is markedly inclined with a westerly aspect. The river Montsant offers some climate regulation and is in the west of the region. Mercifully, the altitude here is enough to keep grapes conditioned with the desirable reservedness of the northerly regions as well. Minerality is incredibly good here - wines are oaky and plumy but complex.
Poboleda: A hilly area offset the Siurana river, making lovely vines from sandy soils. The typical Slate and schist are prevalent here. Wines have delicate minerality and good body, with intricate structure and acid. This area is slightly lower lying, especially on the banks. These are fruit-foward, mineral-driven wines with rich body.
Porrera: Is the charming town marked by its long history with the river Cortiella. At the bottom of the valley. This beautiful area is covered in granite schist, with good draining red dirt and a northerly aspect. The height is not notable, but its location to various bodies of water means there is a lack of problematic cold. Wines are richly textured, full of chocolate, cedar, and black cherry, and gamy meat.
Torroja del Priorat: The north easterly aspect of this village means wines are full of finesse and reserve. this area is located in the valley of the Siurana, and thus, benefits from its less-than-ideal aspect. Land here is extremely flat, but the soils are high quality larger schistuous deposits carved out by the river. The area is marked by the red tower, a famous landmark. Wines are noticeably tobacco scented, easy-drinking, stewed blackberry cocktails of complexity.
Vilella Alta: A waterfront stream flanked by the cliffs which cut into the valley, separating the DO of Montsant from Priorat proper. This old village is a beautiful medieval town with sandy loam, schistous granite and a somewhat northerly aspect. Temperatures are varied albeit, the valley is not shaded by the mountain. Wines are full-bodied expressions of baking spices muddy earthiness and fresh blackberry.
For a stellar example of the incredible terroir of this region, look no further than the illustrious Black Slate by Bodegas Mas Alta. Named for the soil type, this fine grained ode to the beautiful slate vineyard in the Vilella Alta is simply stunning. This is a bold wine with excellent minerality and hints of lavender and garrique, that is rosemary and thyme. A delicious candidate to share with friends or enjoy with a nice cut of red meat. The tannin is dry but the wine finishes pleasantly.
Vilella Baixa: Just to the south of Vilella Alta, this village is seated just above the cliffs to the north, with very high vineyards. The soils are similar to Vilella Alta in the north, with potentially more iron content in the slate. The southerly aspect here means that wines end up hotter, and richer with broader alcohol content. Wines emanate red fruit, cherry, and have distinctive smokiness.
Masos de Falset: By far the largest village in terms of production land mass. Despite narrow boarders on the map, this village falls into the DO of Montsant, and the majority of wine produced here will end up in blends of the Priorat DOQ, or the DO. These wines are brash, coming from this flat land. Drought can be a problem here as the water table is desperately low. Wines here are Mineralic, and caramel in flavor with notes of cherry.
Solanes de Molar: These lands to the south are full of slate, at lower altitudes with less diurnal shift. The resulting wines are big bodied. This smaller area is more likely to be used to strengthen a blend, as the majority of vines are young. Wines here have a peculiar earthiness, coupled with black fruit and leather flavors.
Petit Pissarres is a classic Priorat. Based out of Molar, Costers del Priorat is a quintessential affordable winery making incredible expressions of Spanish Terroir. This bottle reeks of black currant cassis, with hints of fresh raspberry, cedar, and nutmeg. The wine dabbles in earthiness and a bit of rosemary, then finishes in a lovely strawberry perfume. Lovely wine for the price, and a perfect pairing for a cheese board.
That's all,
~K