Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Els Escurçons comes from a 20-year-old vineyard, a massal selection of old Garnacha from the village of Porrera on south- and southwest-facing terraces of ferruginous decomposed llicorella slate. In June 2015, 30 hectares of forest around the vineyard burned down, and 10% of the vines died. The vineyard expression has been coming back since 2016, but they feel it has changed, as the vegetation around it has disappeared. The first two vintages after the fire showed anger and stress, and in 2018, they noticed a change that seems to continue in 2019. But then 2019 was very unusual, incredibly concentrated but only 13.5% alcohol and surprisingly tannic. This is a wine that matures in glass demijohn and ceramic jars. Another unusual wine from an unusual harvest here.
Rating: 94+ -
Wine Spectator
A robust, medium- to full-bodied red, with tarry smoke and cigar box on the nose, transitioning to underscore black plum and sun-dried cherry fruit, dark chocolate and milled black pepper on the palate. Dense and well-knit, with a mouthwatering finish. Drink now.
Grenache thrives in any warm, Mediterranean climate where ample sunlight allows its clusters to achieve full phenolic ripeness. While Grenache's birthplace is Spain (there called Garnacha), today it is more recognized as the key player in the red blends of the Southern Rhône, namely Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes du Rhône and its villages. Somm Secret—The Italian island of Sardinia produces bold, rustic, single varietal Grenache (there called Cannonau). California, Washington and Australia have achieved found success with Grenache, both flying solo and in blends.
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.