 The
first thing that strikes you when you visit the region and see the famous llicorella
(slate-based) soils is "How the hell can anything grow here?". When
you see the steep Coster vineyards that you can barely stand up straight in,
and the minuscule yields of most of the vineyards, you begin to understand why
these wines are so expensive. However, the future of the area is undoubtedly
in "second" wines that can offer a better quality price ratio than
the top level offers from each cellar. Wines like Martinet Bru, Solanes, Terrasses,
Mas Igneus FA206 and an interesting addition in 2001, Clos les Fites, offer
excellent wines at affordable prices. I don't think that the top level wines
will disappear. Even in more difficult vintages like 1997 and 1999 some excellent
wines were produced, but their prices inevitably keep them out of range of most
pockets except for special occasions. The latest fashion in the area is to apply
the Priorat magic to the white varieties, and their are some excellent Garnatxa
Blanca whites following Mas d'en Compte's lead in this area.
| Vineyard area: |
1.800 Hectares |
| Authorised Production: |
6000kg per hectare |
| Soil types: |
Slate based soils known as "llicorella". |
| Authorised varieties: |
Whites: Garnatxa blanca, Macabeu, Pedro Ximénez
Reds: Garnatxa negre, Garnatxa peluda, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon,
Carinyena, Syrah. |
| Annual sunshine: |
2700 hours |
| Annual rainfall: |
550mm |
| Average temperature: |
15 ºC |
| Wine types: |
Over 80% reds |
| Notes: |
Despite a similar rainfall to the rest of Catalunya, Priorat
is characterised by very dry summers - which produces healthy grapes - and
the wines are particularly marked by the soil types. Vines are planted on
steep valley sides, and vary from 200 to 1000m above sea level. In general
yields are extremely low. As little as 1500 kg per hectare in the older
vineyards, producing the ideal raw materials for the high quality (and high
octane!) reds the zone is famous for. In recent years a number of firms
have come to the fore specialising in excellent criança reds for cellaring. |
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