Winemaker Notes
The wines of Priorat are today Spain’s most mineral, elegant reds. They are equals of the best that the French Mediterranean and Italy produces. It is a wild region, of steep, terraced vineyards that date to Roman times. Its typical terroir is composed mainly of ragged and broken slate (schist, or llicorella in the Catalan dialect), lending distinct character and finesse to the region’s best wines.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
They have aged a substantial part of the Cariñena in glass demijohns since 2015, and from 2017 they have started experimenting with some chestnut barrels. So, this 2015 Camí Pesseroles shows a new profile that might have helped to provide freshness, and it avoids some volatility that occurs when the vintages are very warm as well as the mineral and iron-like part of the wine. This always has a very low pH, but in this ripe year, there is very good balance. The tannins are very fine and there is good harmony, with integrated acidity.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Tiny and entirely composed of craggy, jagged and deeply terraced vineyards, Priorat is a Catalan wine-producing region that was virtually abandoned until the early 1990s. This Spanish wine's renaissance came with the arrival of one man, René Barbier, who recognized the region’s forgotten potential. He banded with five friends to create five “Clos” in the village of Gratallops. Their aim was to revive some of Priorat’s ancient Carignan vines, as well as plant new—mainly French—varieties. These winemakers were technically skilled, well-trained and locally inspired; not surprisingly their results were a far cry from the few rustic and overly fermented wines already produced.
This movement escalated Priorat’s popularity for a few reasons. Its new wines were modern and made with well-recognized varieties, namely old Carignan and Grenache blended with Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. When the demand arrived, scarcity commanded higher prices and as the region discovered its new acclaim, investors came running from near and far. Within ten years, the area under vine practically doubled.
Priorat’s steep slopes of licorella (brown and black slate) and quartzite soils, protection from the cold winds of the Siera de Monstant and a lack of water, leading to incredibly low vine yields, all work together to make the region’s wines unique. While similar blends could and are produced elsewhere, the mineral essence and unprecedented concentration of a Priorat wine is unmistakable.