Are you looking for the best wines from Priorat? Here we explain, point by point, each of what we consider to be the best products from this area of Tarragona.
Priorat is a wine-producing appellation of origin (DOQ) located in the province of Tarragona, in Catalonia. It is known for producing some of the most prestigious wines in the world and they are usually intense, elegant, and complex red wines. In terms of classification, Priorat wines are divided into different categories: from young and fresh wines to high-end wines. In this article, we talk about some of them: 7 of the best Priorat wines.
For those who are intrigued by the allure of Priorat and wish to delve deeper into its wine culture, our Barcelona wine tours provide an exceptional opportunity. These tours not only offer tastings of these exquisite wines but also give insights into the unique terroir and winemaking traditions of the Priorat region, all within a short journey from the heart of Barcelona.
Clos Mogador
René Barbier was one of the pioneers in demonstrating Priorat’s ability to produce world-class wines. His winery, Clos Mogador, founded in the late 1980s in Gratallops, is famous for producing wines that combine power with elegance. It also stands out for promoting environmentally friendly agriculture, the fruit of long generations of wine enthusiasts. Its flagship wine is a blend of Grenache and Carignan with a little Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, each contributing to the final composition.
Clos Mogador is characterised by aromas of dark fruits, spices and a mineral touch reflecting the slatey soil, called llicorella, of the Priorat. On the palate, ripe fruit and warmth are balanced by lively acidity and a long, silky finish. Its 18 months ageing in French oak barrels adds toasty nuances, complementing the ripe fruit flavours and mineral notes typical of the terroir. This is a wine that reflects its terroir and shows the potential of Garnacha in expert hands.
An iconic wine. The great wine of the resurgence of Priorat in the early 1990s and a living legend, which the best restaurants in the world should have on their menus.
Ferrer Bobet (special selection)
Ferrer Bobet is a winery founded in 2004 by Sergi Ferrer-Salat and Raül Bobet, with the aim of producing wines of high expression. Their Ferrer Bobet Selecció Especial is a tribute to the Cariñena grape, which comes from vines over 100 years old. After an ageing of about 18 months in French oak barrels, the wine reveals an aromatic palette of black fruits, balsamic notes, spicy touches and a remarkable minerality. It is powerful on the palate, with ripe fruit and a very long, mineral finish.
Sergi and Raül came to Priorat in the early 2000s with one goal in mind: to make wines from the Cariñena grape, which for so many years had been the area’s secondary actress. And they hit the nail on the head when they noticed that the oldest vines of this variety gave a quality and complexity that many were unaware of.
This Selecció Especial is proof that Cariñena is on the right path to becoming the great variety of Priorat and the one that will conquer the world.
Roca Grisa (Marco Abella)
Located in Porrera and the result of a project by David Marco and Olivia Bayés, the Marco Abella winery is characterised by the high altitude of its vineyards. These vineyards are part of a long family history that goes back more than 500 years, interrupted by the phylloxera plagues and resumed in 2005, the year in which the current winery was built. A personal project of this couple. A life project, dedicated to the passion for a well-made wine.
Marco Abella’s wines are usually made from a coupage of different grape varieties from Priorat, such as Garnacha, Cariñena and Garnacha Blanca.
His most emblematic wine is Roca Grisa, a single varietal wine made from Cariñena grapes, the star variety on the slopes of Porrera. It is one of the most exclusive wines of Priorat with less than a thousand bottles a year. It comes from a very careful selection of a few vines planted in the highest parts of the municipality, i.e. cooler vineyards due to their altitude and because they are permanently cooled by the breeze that blows all day long.
The result? A wine of great freshness, fleshiness and elegance. In addition, its ripening process is slow due to the cold and the great acidity of the grapes, so the wine has an intense aroma and great concentration, with notes of graphite, cherries and a very seductive balsamic finish.
El Cel (Merum Priorati)
Located just a few metres from the centre of Porrera and founded in 2013, Merum Priorati is a young winery, but with a strong commitment to respect for terroir and authenticity.
In just a few years it has managed to position itself as one of the DOQ’s benchmark wineries, and thanks to its exceptional vineyard and one of the best winemakers in the area, its wines have grown in quality and international prestige. So much so that one of its wines was considered the 4th best in the world by the prestigious wine magazine Wine Spectator.
The winery focuses on making limited production wines that showcase the unique territory of Priorat, from the blend of native grape varieties, the most common being Garnacha and Cariñena. The wines have a small contribution of the forane Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.
This is the case of its flagship El Cel, with a blend of these four varieties and an ageing of 18 months in new French oak barrels from the best forests.
Around 3,000 bottles a year are produced, and only grapes from the vines located at the top of the estate are used. These are poor soils, which give very low yields, but of excellent quality.
The result is a fleshy, intense, juicy wine, with a good acidity that makes you salivate and lengthens the flavour. Concentrated and complex aromas, between ripe fruit, minerality and spices. A wine designed to be consumed now or to keep for more than 10 years.
Cal Batllet Escanyavella
In the heart of Gratallops we find Cal Batllet, a micro-winery founded in 2000 after the restoration of the old family winery in a traditional village house with all the charm of its authenticity. Marc Ripoll is a vigneron who took over the reins of the family vineyards with the aim of not selling the grapes, but to make and bottle his own wine and its 15,000 bottles a year.
Old vines, even centenary, of Garnacha and Cariñena from which delicious and robust red wines are produced. But if Cal Batllet stands out for anything, it is for producing its Escanyavella wine, a white wine that is unique in the world, made from the same native grape variety: Escanyavella. Its 90-year-old vines give complexity and depth to this wine, which offers aromas of white fruits, menthol, citrus and dried flowers, with a mineral background. The palate is fresh, with vibrant acidity and a long, mineral finish.
A wine different, but delicious, to anything you have ever tasted. Like it or dislike it, but it never leaves you indifferent.
Mas d’en Compte blanc (Cal Pla)
Under the name Celler Cal Pla, we find a winery with more than 200 years of history and known for its careful winemaking, located in the town of Porrera. In fact, it was founded in 1814, at a time when the Priorat region was undergoing a winegrowing transformation. The name comes from the family surname and from the house owned by the same family since the 18th century.
It includes very diverse varieties, such as Garnacha and Cariñena, as well as others that are more scarce, such as Picapoll Blanco and Trepat Blanco. Their wine Mas d’en Compte Blanc is a blend of Garnacha Blanca, Picapoll and Chenin Blanc, which is surprising for its great personality. Aromas of white and tropical fruits, white flowers and a touch of toasted oak. In the mouth it is intense, with a balanced acidity and an unctuous and persistent finish.
Sant Antoni (Scala Dei)
The Cellers Scala Dei winery is the oldest in Priorat and dates back to 1263, when the Carthusian monks made wine. Today, it has preserved its traditional spirit, and it was in 1878 that they first bottled wines under the name of Priorat de Scala Dei, renamed Cellers Scala Dei in 1973.
The Scala Dei vineyards, planted on terraces at high altitude, bring freshness and complexity to this wine that seduces with its aroma of ripe red fruits, spices and flowers, and its smooth and round mouthfeel, with velvety tannins and a long finish that leaves a memory of fruit and spices.
One of their most emblematic wines, together with Masdeu, is Sant Antoni, a pure expression of Garnacha. In fact, it is a wine that comes from a single vineyard and dates back to the winery’s origins. It is a wine that shows us one of the many faces of Garnacha depending on its production, altitude and soil.
Sant Antoni is surely one of the finest and most elegant Garnachas from Priorat, with a perfumed nose reminiscent of roses, spices, thyme, raspberry and wet earth. On the palate it follows the elegance of the nose, with a very delicate, velvety and silky texture. Fine acidity, forest fruits and a long aftertaste.
Each of these wineries and wines reveal the diversity and richness of Priorat, a region distinguished by the quality and uniqueness of its wines. Whether you are an expert or a beginner in oenology, these seven wines invite you to discover and enjoy the essence of Priorat.
