Priorat may be the star of Cataluña’s wine lineup. Since a few brave winemakers recuperated old vines here in the 1970s, Priorat’s quality has exploded, along with its reputation. The terrain is dramatic: mountains topped with stone look down on vine-covered terraces and villages built in seemingly impossible spots. This is not an easy place to make wine. You’ll find many small wineries here growing vines on tiny plots, often using organic and biodynamic techniques. This and other innovations have helped Priorat’s trajectory continue upward. There are new regulations based on soil and climate studies with characteristic Catalan precision. International grape varieties have happily been pushed into the back seat by local Garnacha and Cariñena. Producers new and old have sought to make lighter, fresher wines that don’t need years to calm down. The result? Priorat is here to stay as one of the best wine regions in the world.
Priorat produces almost exclusively red wines, but Garnacha Blanca-based white Priorats have caused some stir. Nearby Terra Alta may be more famous for this grape, but in the Priorat they are making excellent savory white wines that pair very well with food. In some cases there are quite old vines. Look out for whites made from other varieties such as Xarello, Macabeo, or even Pedro Ximénez.
Clos de l’Obac
Carles Pastrana and his wife were among the pioneers of the Priorat beginning in the 1970s, drawn by the rich winemaking history, impressive old vines, and stunning landscapes. Once he began bottling wines and formed Clos de l’Obac, the reception was superb. The immensely powerful flagship wine was unlike anything in the fine world. Today there are a few more wines in the range, including an unusual sweet red wine, a white Priorat, and an second red incorporating some Tempranillo. Clos de l’Obac have largely stuck to what made their first wines great: Garnacha and Carignena balanced with some French grapes, old vines, and the concentration to age for many years in the cellars of collectors.
Clos Mogador
Clos Mogador is one of the original five producers who re-founded and remade the Priorat. René Barbier, from a French winemaking family but raised in Cataluña, set out with four friends and a dream of what Priorat could become. Clos Mogador’s first wine, called Clos Mogador, helped put Priorat on the world wine map due to its of stark concentration and balance that impressed critics around the world. Today, with son and winemaker René Jr. in charge, Clos Mogador continues to live up to that early greatness. The original red has been joined by a single-plot red called Manyetes, a white, and a red from Montsant. The generational shift in the family has also brought a focus on biodiversity and sustainability, evidenced by René Jr.’s projects with his wife, winemaker and Mas Martinet heir Sara Perez. Clos Mogador is essential for anyone trying to understand the past, present, and future of fine wines in the Priorat.
Ferrer Bobet
Ferrer Bobet’s first vintage didn’t hit the market until 2008, but this small winery near Porrera has firmly established itself as one of the Priorat’s elite producers. It is the perfect example of the new wave in Priorat who arrived after the famous names of Gratallops had already made their mark. Wine loving businessman Ferrer and star winemaker Bobet teamed up to make world-class wines in the Priorat. Everything about the winery, vineyards, and winemaking at Ferrer Bobet has been meticulously thought through. The modern winery blends into the landscape and allows winemaking to take place by gravity. The tasting room on the top floor overlooks a stunning valley covered in steep terraced vineyards and features walls lined with wine books spanning many decades and languages. From the moment you arrive, the seriousness of the project is palpable. But the careful work in the winery is overshadowed by the importance of Ferrer Bobet’s vineyards. The plots that started it all are intensely sloped vineyards dotted with old vines of Cariñena and Garnacha, but Ferrer Bobet has also invested in planting new vineyards around the winery on terraces, no easy feat in this part of the Priorat. The old and young vines alike benefit from the high elevation and cooling winds that make Porrera a great place to make Priorats that retain freshness to counterbalance their power.
Ferrer Bobet makes three wines that showcase terroir and respectful winemaking. Ferrer Bobet is made from the fruit of the winery’s young vines, but already shows the depth and freshness that characterize the house. It’s the only wine here that features international varities, albeit in small amounts that allow Cariñena grown on slate to shine through. Vinyes Vellas is a savoury, complex wine dominated by Cariñena with a bit of Garnacha, all sourced from very old vines. This “second wine” is already immense, delicious now but with concentration and acidity to age for years. The last wine, Selecció Especial Vinyes Velles, fully immerses the palate in Cariñena and its great potential on the slate soils of Priorat. Vibrant acidity runs through a wine with power and finesse, perfectly balancing Priorat’s characteristic ripeness with the ephemerality of high-altitude wines. Selecció Especial is undoubtedly one of the Priorat’s bright spots, but any of Ferrer Bobet’s wines belong on a wine lover’s table and in their cellar.
Mas Alta
Priorat’s success and fame has attracted wine lovers from all over the world to try their hand at making their own wine here. In the case of Mas Alta, a group of Belgian wine lovers led by fine wine broker Philippe Lambrecht set their sights on the tiny hilltop village of La Vilella Alta, surrounded by terraced vineyards on extreme slopes. They brought in legendary Rhone winemaker Michel Tardieu as a consultant and set off in 1999 to make great wines in the Priorat. Today, Mas Alta’s red and white wines have ascended to become some of the most highly regarded Priorats. You’ll find reds dominated by Garnacha and Carignena and whites made from Garnacha Blanca, all of which allow you to taste the unique characteristics of the vineyards around La Vilella Alta.
Mas Doix
Two families with winemaking roots in the Priorat founded Mas Doix in 1998 in Poboleda. They bet on a combination of old vines and local grape varieties, and the results have been stunning. Small plots of extremely old Cariñena and Garnacha grapes form the basis of the top Mas Doix wines, including varietal Cariñena and Garnacha wines that showcase what the grapes subjected to the most extreme conditions can do. Every wine is an expression of the altitude and slate soils of Poboleda, and the lineup is superb from top to bottom. Mas Doix’s wines have helped push Priorat to new heights and new styles beyond what was thought possible.
Vall Llach
Iconic Catalan singer Lluis Llach and his friend Enric Costa were inspired by the Priorat and the struggle of the heroic growers of the region, and in the 1990s decided to create Vall Llach. Initially the project was thought of to help out the local growers, but the old vines that they bought around the village of Porrera turned out to be extraordinary. Mas de la Rosa, a stunningly steep vineyard with vines over a century old, today yields a wine of the same name that is recognized as one of the great single vineyard wines of the Priorat. Vall Llach has also embraced the new village classification in the Priorat with their Vi de Vila Porrera. All of the reds here are based on the local grapes Garnacha and Cariñena, eschewing the Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah introduced in the 1980s and instead relying on Cariñena to provide freshness. Vall Llach is a showcase of the power of old vines, local grapes, and the traditions and wisdom of the village of Porrera.