Welcome to the sixth installment of WINE CRUSH,
a bi-monthly-ish newsletter.
This space is for the viticulture geeks, cellar rats and glass swirlers.
Read on as Locke Store Beverage Director, Jason Bise, shares his thoughts on seasonal wine trends,
ancient grapes and dedicated producers.
by Jason Bise
Priorat didn’t roll off of many tongues thirty years ago but it has been destined to produce great wines since the waters of the Mediterranean receded. It is a small wine region 90 minutes to the south of Barcelona and hemmed in by the Serra de Montsant mountains that define the border between Priorat and Montsant.
This is a region totally devoted to a hardscrabble existence and producing some of the best quality wines in Spain, and the world.
Viticulture likely came to Priorat at the end of the 12th century, Brought in by the monks of the Monastery Scala Dei which was founded in 1194. Over the next 600 years vines took over in these incredibly steep and rocky hillsides until the lands were divided back to the people in the 1820s. By 1850, the region became famous for its high quality of vines and had over 12,500 acres planted until it all came to a close when the plague of phylloxera came roaring in.
Phylloxera is a double-advantaged scourge to grapevines. It is a miniscule aphid that lays eggs on the leaves and as the larva hatch they mate and fall to the ground, sucking on the vine, causing wounds that allow infection and eventually leave the vine starved, unable to draw water and nutrients from the ground. As a bonus, some species grow wings and when breakfast is over, fly to another area for lunch. Brutal. By this method the aphid spread from the Rhone valley in the 1850s to soon destroy most of the vineyards in France within the next decade. The Pyrennes kept phylloxera waiting at the door but starting in 1880 phylloxera finally arrived in Priorat.
Most vines are propagated from a cutting of an older established vine. The cutting starts a new vine with the same genetic make-up of the parent. What the wine world finally figured out was that these pests would only feed on European vine roots (vitis vinifera) while American root stock (vitis riparia rupestris) did not appeal to the savage little beasts. The solution (for most of the world) has been to graft European grape varieties onto American rootstock; defeating the pests by taking away their food source. Unfortunately, before the turn of the 20th century almost every vine in Priorat was destroyed. Phylloxera came to Spain just as the cure was being realized.
With all of the vineyards decimated, most of the inhabitants of Priorat left in order to make a living in the cities and most of the vineyards were never replanted. The few producers who stayed on grafted their vines and there are some of these still remaining from the early 1900s. The ground in Priorat is so inhospitable to other plant life that the almonds and olives that grow abundantly just over the rise, in the Montsant, are not sustained by the slate soils and their total lack of nutrients. The best environments for high quality wine production are uninhabitable to most other plant life.
The famous ‘black soils’ are the decomposing black slate known locally as Llicorella.
Named after their semblance to licorice, the rocky soil is more accepting of vine roots than almost any other inhabitant. If there is a magic ingredient that Priorat has tucked away under the vines, it is these soils.
The D.O. (Denominación de Origen) status for Priorat came in the 1950’s but by then there was hardly anyone making wines. By 1979, when Rene Barbier planted his family in the Priorat hills near the town of Gratallops, there were less than 1500 acres remaining; most of the grapes were sold cooperatives or made into ‘house’ wine.
The town of Gratallops, Catalan for ‘Please the Wolves’ was ground zero for the rebirth of modern Priorat.
Rene Barbier (Clos Mogador) was the first of the ‘Clos’ group to arrive and he spent the next 10 years convincing other young winemakers and growers to join him in reviving the wild hillsides.
By 1989 Alvaro Palacios (ClosDofi, now Finca Dofi) and Daphne Glorian (Clos Erasmus) had joined in with Joesp Luis Perez (Clos Martinet, now Mas Martinet) and 6 other winemakers and new owners of the surrounding vineyards.
These ten producers pooled their resources and grapes and in 1989 made one wine,
that each of the ten producers labeled separately. These wines started to make their way out of Priorat and the modern ‘Clos’ started to spread the word of the coming greatness of Priorat. They continued to work together until the 1991 vintage and then the group split into separate camps. Carles Pastrana (Clos de l’Obec) had a falling out with the rest of the ‘Clos’ team and the other 5 winemakers gave up.
The four remaining Clos founders have worked together and made wine separately since 1991.
They have ushered in a new generation that favors a horse over a tractor and
biodynamics over commercial inputs.
Work done by hand is almost the only way in Priorat. The land is still raw and the yields are miniscule, but the wines! The wines of Priorat are some of the most complex, subtle and unique in all of the world of wine. The Llicorella soils and the cooling effects from the Gabarinda winds off of the Mediterranean are but two of the factors that have made this small inland wine region into one of the great treasures of the wine world. Garnacha and Cariñena (also called Samso and Mazuela) are the primary grapes of the region but Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah are usually present and more of these vines are being planted every year.
The vines have gained ground and over 5000 acres are now farmed.
Priorat stands next to Rioja as the only other top level D.O.C.a (Denominación de Origen Calificada) recognized growing zone in Spain. This has not been enough for the producers and they continue to push for greater quality recognition. Their model is similar to the vineyard grading scale of the French in Burgundy. Vi de la Villa (French Villages) wines represent a specific village intensity from 12 different growing areas in 11 different villages. Next is the Vina del Finca from one specific regional vineyard, that might be owned or farmed by many different growers. Last to come will be the Vi de Paratge (Grand Cru), representing specific vineyard sites of exceptional quality.
The prices of the top wines have risen to the hundred dollar mark, and above, but there are still fantastic wines of great distinction that start at only $20. Eric Solomon, of European Cellars Imports, was lucky enough to both fall in love with Priorat and Daphne Glorian of Clos Erasmus. The two were married and together tirelessly promote the region and he has created his own label to showcase each of the villages using their top producers. The ‘Black Slate’ bottlings each reflect a single village, made by a key producer in each village.
We hope you can stop by the Locke Store and let's speak of Catalans and the amazing wines of Priorat for a spell.
Bottle Spotlight
Clos Mogador Gratallops 2017 $124
Aunt Elisabeth Barbier, a gifted writer with a rich imagination, described in her book “The people of Mogador”, the activities, conflicts, love stories and disappointments experienced by this dynasty of wine growers. In 1979, descendants of her family discovered a unique corner in a fairytale region where the vine flourishes. Clos Mogador is a vast amphitheatre of crumbling slate. The vines are surrounded by mountains up to 1.200 metres high and the vineyard’s lower extremes are lovingly caressed by the Siurana River. This river runs below a small hamlet of the same name that has a rich history, inspiring in the past some of the most daring Moorish legends. This exceptional setting is capable of capturing the heart of any visitor. Words cannot describe one’s emotions to find oneself in a vineyard whose fruit depends on the altitude, exposure to the sun and influence of morning dews. All of Nature’s miracles combine to give birth to a wine, which goes by the name of Clos Mogador.
Grenache, Carignan, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon bide their time in carefully selected French oak barrels and only reappear when the moment is right, full of promise and hidden joy. This is by no means an industrial process. The few bottles of Clos Mogador are made with affection, attentively following in the ‘Grands Crus’ traditional artisan methods. Uncork a bottle of Clos Mogador, sit back, relax and enjoy the moment. Salut!
35% Garnacha, 24% Syrah, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cariñena, 10% Merlot & 3% other varieties
Clos i Erasmus Priorat 2019 $249
Clos I Terrasses was born in 1989 when Alvaro Palacios and Rene Barbier persuaded their friend Daphne to do something crazy: spend all her savings on some old Garnacha vines, planted on 17 terraces, just outside the village of Gratallops. Priorat’s reputation as a region for fine wines was yet to be established. The first 10 vintages were made at Barbier’s Clos Mogador until Daphne purchased an old cellar from Palacios. Clos Erasmus’s sources have remained consistent for many years now, coming from a selection of three vineyard sites: Escales, Aubagues, and Socarrats. Escales was Daphne’s original vineyard, and while encompassing 1.7 hectares, this Garnatxa yields only 6-9 hl/ha. Its character is always delicate, perfumed, and lighter in color, providing a floral lift and precision to the final blend. Socarrats is a warmer site of which only a portion of the oldest vine fruit is reserved for Clos Erasmus. It provides a darker fruit character to the final blend and much of the backbone of fine tannins. Aubagues, which was largely re-graded and replanted on costers in 2013, has a few remaining terraces of 35-year-old Garnatxa reserved for Clos Erasmus. As one of Daphne’s warmest sites, it provides much of the richness and texture that has become a hallmark of Clos Erasmus. With the addition of Ester Nin as Daphne’s viticulturist in 2004, Clos i Terrasses has been converted to biodynamic farming. These selections are fermented separately by indigenous yeasts in oak vats. After a gentle maceration lasting a month, they are racked into twelve 228L French oak barrels – 5 new and 7 second-fill. Each January, Daphne, Eric & Ester Nin taste each of the barrels and assemble the final blend equaling only 3000-3500 bottles each vintage.
When asked about the difference in her various vineyard sites, Daphne responded: Technically it’s all slate except at the foot of the Montsant where there is some chalk. It’s really all these small micro -climates, ridges and valleys and that’s where all the differences are. It’s Burgundy in reverse: same soils and different climate versus different soils and the same climate.
70% Garnatxa & 30% Syrah
Alvaro Palacios ‘Finca Dofi’ Priorat 2019 $109
If anyone embodies the promise and spirit of “The New Spain,” it is Álvaro Palacios. His L’Ermita is widely considered—along with Peter Sisseck’s Pingus—to be the most important new Spanish wine of the modern era. One of nine children born to the owners of Rioja’s respected Palacios Remondo, Álvaro studied enology in Bordeaux, while working under Jean-Pierre Moueix at Ch. Pétrus. He credits his tenure at Pétrus for much of his winemaking philosophy and for showing him “the importance of great wines.” Álvaro could have returned to the security of his family’s domaine, but instead, he was drawn to remote and seductive Priorat. From the beginning, viticulture was fastidious, with organic farming standard and mules employed to work the steep, terraced sites. The single-vineyard red 2019 Finca Dofí comes from the 14 hectares of vines planted across three parajes
(lieu-dits) in Gratallops. It fermented in oak vats with indigenous yeasts and matured in large oak barrels
(bocoyes and foudres) for 14 months. In most Priorat tastings that do not include L’Ermita, Dofí is the winner.
87% Garnacha, 12% Carinena, 1% White Varietals
Alvaro Palacios ‘Les Terrasses’ Priorat 2018 $49.95
As a young aprentice he spent time in Bordeux at the famous Pomerol wine estate Château Petrus, and in his
best wines the heritage from the Bordeaux district can be noted in the wines. In 1989, when Alvaro Palacios
was 25 years old he left behind Rioja. He sold his car and his motorbike, and came to Priorat. Álvaro also came to trust in the monks’ wisdom, and in the varieties that they had selected over centuries as best adapted to the land. In particular, he recognized that regional Garnacha clones were the great heritage of this appellation. In time,
he also came to cherish the small amounts of other varieties—including white grapes—that were interspersed among his vineyards.
While originally conceived of as a value wine, Les Terrasses has slowly evolved into Álvaro’s statement of what makes Priorat special. Drawing on 15+ years of study, Terrasses is sourced from many of the region’s steepest and oldest vineyards—many of them north-facing to avoid the intense afternoon sun. Today, Les Terrasses is today perhaps the single finest introduction to Priorat in the marketplace.
55% Garnacha, 44% Cariñena & 1% white grapes
Alvaro Palacios ‘Camins del Priorat’ $29.99
The evolving seriousness of Les Terrasses eventually left room for a new wine, Camins del Priorat. Álvaro had never wanted to be known solely for expensive “trophy” wines and, with Camins, he found the opportunity to create a true bargain. Drawing on his wealth of vineyard sources, Álvaro crafts Camins not only to be affordably priced, but also to be true to his vision of Priorat— powerful but elegant, approachable but restrained.
35% Garnacha, 24% Syrah, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cariñena, 10% Merlot & 3% other varieties
Martinet Bru Priorat 2019 $29.99
This ‘Original’ Priorat Clos was started by Joesp Luis Perez and is now run by his daughter, Sarah. Martinet Bru
is mainly sourced from a single vineyard, known as Mas Seró. This vineyard is located within the “Vi de Vila”
(village wines) zone of Masos de Falset. It adjoins the D.O. Montsant (wine appellation) and has a similar climate
to Montsant, although the differentiating factor is the soil, which is Llicorella (slate-based). The soil is stony but
the vineyard is cool in terms of climate. It faces the cooling sea breeze (known as the “Garbinada”) and the quality of the soil means this wine is more drinkable and easier to understand than most Priorat wines, affording it a hint
of liquorice, blackberries, rosemary and tannins.
This vintage we added a small young vineyard (4%) in agroforestry, which had been grafted by our children,
of Grenache and which was still in conversion. Some words of winemaking and ageing. We harvest Grenache, Carignan and Syrah at different times of maturity, starting very early and discovering aromatic expressions that
we missed before… We work in part with stems in all varieties excepting Cabernet. We mix the whole grapes and stems in vats with co-fermentation of Grenache-Syrah-Merlot, and Carignan-Syrah-Cabernet. Fermentation in concrete vats, without starter or inoculation. Spontaneous. A remontage on the first and third day. Then no intervention until the end of the alcoholic fermentation, with bleeding and pressing. Aged for 12 months in
4500L wooden vats and in 300L barrels for different uses. Also, some wine into clay amphorae and demijohns.
This 2019 was a warmer year than 2018 and dryer. The fruit was well prepared ahead of time, and it was explosive, generous. It is a year of generous expression, despite heat wave in the end of June (temperatures
over 40 degrees). The nature gave us expression, finesse, joviality, warmth and generosity, a lot of generosity.
A positive, happy year.
28% Grenache, 26% Syrah, 23% Carignan, 16% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon
Pasanau ‘Finca La Planeta’ $49.95
One of the unique wines at the very top of the Priorat elevation. Grenache does not fully ripen at the top and the soil is more limestone than llicorella, therefore these is a predominance of Cabernet Sauvignon. Finca La Planeta is six acres of mature Cabernet Sauvignon, planted in the gravelly mountain terroir. 80 percent Cabernet Sauvignon is combined with 20 percent old-vine Garnacha, aged 14 months in French and Central European oak.
Concentration of all factors is evident - minerals, herbs, black fruit and oak spice. Distinctively clear-cut and elegant style for Priorat.
Vivid ruby-red. Ripe red berry, rose pastille and pipe tobacco scents are complemented by building mineral and vanilla accents. Sappy and focused on the palate, offering juicy cassis and bitter cherry flavors that deepen and turn sweeter as the wine stretches out. Finishes with smoky mineral thrust, chewy, slow-building tannins and impressive, spice- and mineral-driven persistence.
80% Cabernet Sauvignon & 20% Grenache
Trossos del Priorat ‘Lo Petit de la Casa’ 2018 $19.95
The goal of Trossos del Priorat is to produce wines expressive of the terroir, with the peculiarities of typical wines of Priorat. Eva Escudé is the oenologist and soul of Trossos del Priorat. Her energy and drive have been indispensable to make the project grow. Her sensitivity is transferred to the wines she produces, elegant and with character. The renowned oenologist Toni Coca is also part of the project as an external advisor. This is a wine made from organically grown strains under the certificate of the Catalan Council of Ecological Agricultural Production (CCPA). The grapes grow on slate soils, they are de-stemmed in the winery and macerated cold for greater aromatic extraction. Fermentation then occurs at low temperature for 19 days. The aging in three year old French oak barrels is about one year. This wine is finally aged in the bottle for 10 months.
Medium layer and cherry color. It has aromas of fruit and fresh balsamic touches, light mineral notes and sweet spices. The mouth is unctuous, easy, fresh and very clean. In retronasal there are notes of sweet spices
80% Cabernet Sauvignon & 20% Grenache
Black Slate ‘Escaladei’ Vi de Vila Priorat 2019 $23.95
Cartoixa d’Scala Dei is picturesquely situated at the foot of the Montsant and adjacent to the derelict priory sits Conreria d’Scala Dei, with the very talented Jordi Vidal at the helm. The estate was founded in 1997 by Jordi and two friends. Their top site, Les Brugueres, and its centenary vines of Garnatxa Blanca produces one of the most delicious, single-varietal white wines in the DOQ. Jordi organically farms several sites that vary in location, elevation, and soil. The vine age at Concreria d’Scala Dei ranges from 10 to well over 100 years old. While most of the vines are rooted in llicorella soils, higher percentages of clay and limestone are mixed with schist closer to the Montsant range. With nearly a dozen sites and such an array of varieties, harvest at Conreria d’Scala Dei is quite hectic. Each site and variety is harvested by hand and brought to the cellar to be fermented separately.The reds see short macerations of less than 20 days, followed by aging in neutral French and American oak barrels.
It stands out among its Black Slate siblings as the most elegant of the lineup, inclined more towards red fruit than black, with a high-toned minerality and spiciness. It is selected from fruit aged in foudre and French oak demi-muids.
A blend of Garnatxa with 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Carinyena
La Cartuja 2017 $21.95
La Cartuja is a single-vineyard wine that represents the authentic identity and flavors of Priorat, made only from native varieties. The wine is made in an approachable style to be enjoyed young while preserving the minerality and explosive blue fruit that is the hallmark of all Priorat reds. Vines planted since 2002, tended in llicorella soil at 250 m (820 ft) elevation.
The wine undergoes two days of maceration followed by eight days of fermentation and ten days of extended maceration after fermentation. The wine is aged for 6 months, half in 225-liter and half in 300-liter French oak barrels. The vineyards are located in a 24-hectare (59 acre) estate named La Solana ("Les Solanes" in Catalan) in the heart of Priorat, between the towns of El Molar and El Lloar, 4.5 km southwest of Gratallops. The La Solana vineyard sits at 250 meters (820 feet) elevation with slopes that have a southeastern exposure. These steep slopes overlook the Siurana River at the bottom of the valley, 1.6 kilometers away, which joins the Ebro River 8 km further on. The famous Ebro runs through Aragon, Navarra and Rioja. The soils of this vineyard are composed of volcanic slate and sand, which impart the signature of Priorat's terroir and distinctive mineral and graphite flavors. Priorat's soils are poor in nutrients and have a low pH, which results in brighter, fresher wines. Priorat wines show the characteristics of a cool climate, which lends acidity, and a warm climate, which brings ripe tannins.
Brilliant ruby. Ripe dark berries, licorice, smoky minerals and a hint of succulent flowers on the perfumed nose. Juicy, round and open-knit; a peppery note adds lift and cut to warm blackberry, bitter cherry and licorice pastille flavors. The long, mineral-accented finish shows very good focus and closes on a youthfully tannic note, leaving cherry pit and floral notes behind. -- Josh Raynolds.
70% Garnacha & 30% Mazuelo