Spain’s Hidden Gem: Priorat! (One of the great wines of Spain, Grenache-based red wine)

Show Notes

Episode 118: Spain’s Hidden Gem: Priorat!  00:00

Hello! And welcome to The Wine Pair Podcast. I’m Joe, your sommelier of reasonably priced wine, and this is my wife and my wine pairing partner in crime, Carmela. And we are The Wine Pair! 

Ok, a quick orientation for those of you who may be new to the podcast - in each episode we learn about, taste and give our honest review of three wines that are reasonably priced - meaning under $20 each -  and should be easy for you to find. And our podcast is made for people who want to learn more about wine, find new wines to enjoy, and just want someone to talk about wine in a fun way that regular people can understand. So, if that sounds like you, you are in the right place! And we are proud to say that we are recommended by the editors of Decanter Magazine who call us fun, irreverent, chatty, and entertaining

Carmela, you might be wondering why we are talking about a Spanish red wine that is considered one of the great wines of Spain. Do you know why?

Yes, it is because we are going to be heading to Barcelona in a few weeks, and before we go, I want to bone up on my Spanish wines, particularly those from in and around the Catalonia area, and so for those of you out there in listening land, you can expect to see some episodes for the next little bit that will focus on Spanish wines that we are likely to encounter in Barcelona.

We have never been to Spain before, so this is really exciting, and our oldest son and his girlfriend will be traveling with us so that is extra special. 

I think many people in the United States may be unaware of this, but Spain produces a ton of wine. In fact, it is the third largest producer of wine in the world behind France and Italy, and just ahead of the United States. Those four countries are by far the biggest producers. The next in line are Chile, Australia, and South Africa, but they are quite a bit smaller relative to the top 4.

Beyond that, when people think of Spanish wines, they tend to think about red wines like Rioja and maybe Ribera del Duero, both of which are red blends that focus on the Tempranillo grape. And, if they think of white wines, they are most likely to think about Albariño and Verdejo.

However, in Spain there are two wine regions, or DOs (which stands for Denominación de Origen) that are considered the top of the top, and they even get an extra special classification called DOQ - where the Q stands for Qualified and is similar to the Italian classification of DOCG which is a step above DOC. In 1991, Rioja was given this top designation, and then in 2003, Priorat (PREE-oh-rat) was also given it.

It just so happens that Priorat is an area that is in Catalonia, which is where Barcelona is, and so we expect to see a lot of Priorat around on our trip, and I want to know what to expect when I drink it because I am not sure that we have had much if any Priorat before. Especially since it is considered one of Spain’s great wines. And my understanding is that Priorat is a big, bold, red wine, so for those of you who have listened to us for a while might know, that is not exactly our cup of tea. But we are going to be open-minded today. 

In a future episode we will also cover Cava, which is Spain’s great sparkling wine, and also comes from the Catalonia area. And I am also hoping to cover another Spanish wine called Txakolina, which is a white wine, and which is also from northern Spain, but from the other side of the country in the Basque area because I assume we may see that wine in Barcelona as well, but we’ll see. And, I think we are also going to do one on Rioja because it is the most famous Spanish red wine, and I am guessing we are going to see it quite a bit. 

By the way, another white wine we may see in Barcelona, and we like white wines, that is also produced in Catalonia is called Alella (Ah lay ah) and is generally made of of Garnacha Blanca and/or Xarel·lo (zhaw-reh-lo) (AKA Pansa blanca), the second of which is found in Cava. And, yes, Garnacha Blanca is white Grenache. However, this wine is not easy to find in the US, so we’ll just have to see if it shows up on some wine lists so we can try it when we are in Barcelona. 

Back to the topic at hand, because we have three Priorat wines we are going to taste and review today to see what we think and get used to them, and before that we have to do some self-edumacating on just what the f Priorat wines are . . .

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And we love to hear from you and get thoughts on things you want to hear about because we want to make content for you! I got an email this week from Debbie asking about a wine and if I had any advice on it, and I hope to god she was not punking me. 

And, as we do every week, we’ll tell you someone we think you should tell about The Wine Pair Podcast. This week, we want you to tell anyone who loves big, bold, red wines, especially if they like Rhone-style wines because both wines are centered on the Grenache grape. This may be a wine that those fans don’t know, and they may want to learn more about this great Spanish wine called Priorat. 

ARTICLES and LINKS

• https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/wine-producing-countries 
• https://www.tripsavvy.com/most-famous-wines-in-spain-1644787#:~:text=The%20most%20famous%20Spanish%20red,make%20up%20the%20Ebro%20valley. 
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_wine 
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_wine
• https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/wine/the-wines-of-catalonia/ 
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alella_(DO) 

Topic: WTF is Priorat? 08:27

The first thing we should mention is that while we are talking about a Spanish wine, this wine is from an area called Catalonia in the northeastern area of Spain, near the border with France, and this is an autonomous area of Spain. I am not going to go into it too much because frankly I am pretty ignorant about the history and politics, but this is a region where the people have a very distinct sense of self-identity and are self-governing, and have been trying to become an independent country.

Within Catalonia, there are many areas where they grow grapes and make wine. In fact, there are 10 DOs in Catalonia, and, as I mentioned, Priorat is the only DOQ in the region, and one of only two in Spain. And, as often is the case with European wines from Italy, France, and Spain, the wine is named for the region and not the grapes. 

Priorat has been making wine for a long time, since at least the 1100’s when the Carthusian monks decided they wanted to plant some grapes and make some wine. This area of Spain gets very hot in the summers, and so there are only certain types of grapes that are going to do well there, and they tend to produce pretty powerful, high alcohol wines that are generally made of Grenache and Carignan. In fact, the red wines of Priorat have to be at least 13% alcohol. So this wine is not for the faint of heart. A recipe for a punch-you-in-the-face wine if there ever was one.

The soil Priorat wines grow in is pretty unique. The soil is called llicorella and is made up of black slate, clay, and quartz. This is really rocky soil that forces the roots of the vines to dig deep for water, and because this is a warm, Mediterranean climate, there is not a ton of rain. So, the area is actually a stressful one for grapes. And this is good for wine grapes - because it forces the plants to focus their energy on making grapes rather than leaves, and it creates fewer grapes per cluster, which means the grapes are more concentrated. So, stressing out grape is evidently ok!

Some people say that this special soil is crucial to the unique character of Priorat wines. Priorat is often described as having a minerally or stone smell and taste to it. And, I have a number of article links in the show notes which go into even more detail on this special aspect of the wine.

When it comes to the grapes in Priorat red wine, and yes, it is a blend rather than a single varietal, the key grape that has been consistent over time is Grenache, which is known as Garnatxa negre in Catalonia - which, by the way, does have its own language called Catalan. 

The other grape commonly associated with Priorat is Carignan, called Cariñena or Samsó in Catalan. Go figure. In traditional Priorat, there are wines made solely from Grenache and or Carignan, but that is becoming less common. Evidently, there are several other grapes that are allowed, and many of them are becoming more common in more modern versions of Priorat, replacing Carignan. BTW, we did an episode on WTF is Carignan, episode 48, about a year and a half ago, and we did not like it at all. 

These other grapes that are allowed are Garnacha Peluda, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Now, Garnacha Peluda is not a grape I was familiar with, but the name means “hairy Grenache” - which I can personally relate to being somewhat hairy myself - and evidently the plants grow fuzz on the underside of the leaves to help them not lose so much moisture in hot weather, and it is a cousin of Grenache that creates a lower alcohol and higher acid wine. 
 
Priorat wines are aged for a while before they are sold. Some, called Criança are aged in oak for 6 months and then spend 18 months in the bottle, while Reserva wines age in oak for 12 months and then spend 24 months in the bottle. Gran Reserva wines must be in oak barrels for 24 months, and then spend 36 months in the bottle. So, the real point here is that these wines need some aging before they are drunk. 

So, on that note, I think it’s time to learn a little more about the specific wines we are drinking today. Whaddya say?

ARTICLES and LINKS

• https://spanish-trails.com/blog/rioja-vs-priorat/#:~:text=In%20Priorat%20the%20process%20of,full%20bodied%20and%20dark%20fruity. 
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalonia 
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priorat_DOQ 
• https://www.thestoryofmywine.com/stories/the-secret-of-priorat-llicorella/ 
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_language 

Priorat Wines We Chose for This Episode 15:50

We did go a bit, just a bit, outside of our price range for this episode, but I think that is just going to have to happen more and more as we are dealing with inflation. So, all of the wines in this episode are between $21 and $22, not terribly outside of our range. However, like a lot of good wines, there are a wide swath or price ranges for Priorat, but it will be very rare that you find one under $20. 

And, I will say that Priorat is not a super hard wine to find, but it is not the most common either. You should be able to find these wines or wines similar to them in any relatively large wine shop or wine section in a store, and particularly if they have a wine section for Spanish wines. I bought all of these at a wine shop called Mad Wines / Esquin here in Seattle, and they have a pretty good selection of wines from all over the world. But, you should expect to have to pay a bit more for these wines. I think $20 or more should be the expectation. 

The first wine we are going to try today is called Gil Family Estates Llicorella Vins Bluegray Priorat. You can hear in the name of the wine that they are calling out the Llicorella soils, including “blue gray” which refers to the blue and gray slate in the soil. I couldn’t find any reviews of the specific vintage we have which is the 2020, but other vintages have had ratings in the 90s from various professional reviewers.

This wine is a blend of 40% Garnacha (Grenache), 30% Cariñena (Carignan), 20% Syrah and 10% Merlot. The winery says the grapes were hand-picked and each grape type was fermented separately in small batches for 10 days, and then aged in French oak barrels for 6 months before it was blended. So, that to me is really interesting, because they make each of the grapes into a wine first, and then decide how they are going to blend it. 

I don’t have a bunch more information about this wine, so let’s move to our next one. 

The next wine we are going to taste and review today is Cellers Unió Laurentia Priorat from the 2020 vintage. This wine, like the last wine, is pretty high in alcohol at 14.5%. This wine is aged in oak for 6 months, according to the winery. 

The winery also says that the vines grow in poor, rocky soils - yes, the Llicorella” soil - at between 300 and 2300 feet above sea level. This is what they say on their tech sheet: Average production per vine is often less than 1 kg, and this confers excellent properties upon the grapes, which become pure gold in the hands of a good winemaker. Just for context, the average healthy vine will produce about 3 kilograms of grapes, so when they talk about fewer grapes on these vines, they ain’t kidding.

The last wine we are going to try today is called La Cartuja Priorat, also from the 2021 vintage and at 14% alcohol is just a smidge lower than the others. By the way, I will just say that finding information for this wine was super tricky, so I hope to god I got this right. 

This wine has a different blend than the other two, and so it will be really interesting to see how different we think these wines are. This wine is 70% Garnacha and 30% Mazuelo - which is another name for Carignan in the local language.

The wine is fermented for 8 days, two days of which is via maceration which is just a way of saying the juice is soaked in the skin, seeds, stems, etc, to give color and tannins. The wine is also aged for 6 months in large French oak barrels.

I will say that my guess is that these wines are going to be a bit hot and a bit young when we drink them. They could probably use a few more years hanging out, so we’ll keep that it mind when we taste them. 

The wine makers say this wine comes from an estate that has been growing grapes since the Carthusian monks were doing so in the middle ages, and the name La Cartuja refers to the monks.  This is a single-vineyard wine that they say can be enjoyed young. I will also note that this vintage was rated a 93 by Wine Enthusiast and given an Editor’s Choice award. So we have high hopes for this wine!

But, I think that is enough information - let’s get to drinking! We’ll take a quick break and be right back. And, if you have these wines or similar wines, drink along with us!


ARTICLES and LINKS

• https://www.grandcruwijnen.nl/en/2020-gil-family-estates-orowines-bluegray 
• https://www.grandcruwijnen.nl/en/amfile/file/download/file/7TVZwxPT5SgHMyg9OI4cWH6Fc6HOcCnG/product/8543/ 
• https://cellersunio.com/gb/inicio/75-laurentia.html 
• https://www.boroli.it/en/how-many-grapes-for-a-bottle-of-wine/#:~:text=As%20a%20piece%20of%20purely,of%20numerous%20rows%20of%20vines
• https://www.oleobrigado.com/wine/435-la-cartuja 

2020 Gil Family Estates Llicorella Vins Bluegray Priorat, 2020 Cellers Unió Laurentia Priorat Wine Tasting, Pairing, and Reviews  22:09

Wine: Gil Family Estates Llicorella Vins Bluegray Priorat
Region: Spain, Catalonia
Year: 2020
Price: $20.99
Retailer: Mad Wine Esquin
Alcohol: 14.5%
Grapes: 40% Garnacha (Grenache), 30% Cariñena (Carignan), 20% Syrah and 10% Merlot

What we tasted and smelled in this Gil Family Estates Llicorella Vins Bluegray Priorat:

• On the nose: Flowers, rose, ripe dark cherries, coffee, cocoa, smoke, rich, plum, sweet, chocolate and cherry candy, black licorice, anise, a little hot, earth and airplane glue on the swirl
• In the mouth: Spicy, paprika, juicy, cherry jam, smokey and slate lingering aftertaste. Tastes a little young, some bitter on the end

Food to pair with this Gil Family Estates Llicorella Vins Bluegray Priorat: Red meat wine, grilled or stuffed flank, fajitas, strip steak, charred breads, grilled vegetables, grilled pizza
 
As a reminder on our rating scale, we rate on a scale of 1-10, where 7 and above means that we would buy it, and 4 and below means that we are likely to pour it down the sink, and a 5 or 6 means we are likely to drink it and finish it, but we are probably not going to buy it. 

Gil Family Estates Llicorella Vins Bluegray Priorat Wine Rating: 

• Joe: 8/10
• Carmela: 6/10

Wine: Cellers Unió Laurentia Priorat
Region: Spain, Catalonia
Year: 2020
Price: $21.99
Retailer: Mad Wine Esquin
Alcohol: 14.5%
Grapes: 50% Garnacha (Grenache), 50% Cariñena (Carignan)
Professional Rating: WE 92

What we tasted and smelled in this Cellers Unió Laurentia Priorat:

• On the nose: Cinnamon bear candy, Big Red chewing gum, candied fruit, candied blood orange, smoke, cherry, not a ton of fruit 
• In the mouth: Fruity, tart, sweet dark cherry, ripe black cherry, candied cherry, cinnamon aftertaste, tea, stone

Food to pair with this Cellers Unió Laurentia Priorat: Red meat, burger, spicy pasta, pasta arrabiata, 

Cellers Unió Laurentia Priorat Wine Rating: 

• Joe: 8/10
• Carmela: 8/10

Wine: La Cartuja Priorat
Region: Spain, Catalonia
Year: 2021
Price: $21.99
Retailer: Mad Wine Esquin
Alcohol: 14.5%
Grapes: 70% Garnacha, 30% Mazuelo (Carignan)
Professional Rating: WE 93 'Editors' Choice'

What we tasted and smelled in this La Cartuja Priorat:

• No tasting because the wine seemed corked

La Cartuja Priorat Wine Rating: 

• No rating because wine seemed corked

Which one of these are you finishing tonight?

• Carmela: Cellers Unió Laurentia Priorat
• Joe: Gil Family Estates Llicorella Vins Bluegray Priorat

Taste profiles expected from Priorat 35:05

• General 
  • Wine Folly: Black cherry, plum, crushed gravel, licorice, chocolate (full and dusty wines)
  • Wine Tourism: Ripe red cherries, black stone fruits, rich baking spices. 
• Gil Family Estates Llicorella Vins Bluegray Priorat
  • Winery: This wine shows enduring flavors of blackberry and cherry and delicate accents of nutmeg and star anise on the nose, elegant and well-integrated tannins with dried thyme notes featuring a lingering finish
• Cellers Unió Laurentia Priorat
  • Winery: Aroma of red fruits, with toasted notes and  hints of raisins. In the mouth  it is full-bodied and potent, concentrated and reminiscent of preserves and cocoa. Very long and well-balanced aftertaste
  • WE: This wine has a nose of cassis, Red Delicious apple peel and clove. Notes of mint and eucalyptus come on strong and then recede to reveal flavors of cherry, raspberry, clove and coffee bean. Hearty tannins, that make their presence known early, stay put into the drawn-out finish.
  • Wine Chateau: Classic Priorat with concentrated aromas of licorice, tar and cherry liquor. Powerful & full-bodied with dark red fruits, toast, cocoa and raisins. Well-balanced & a long finish.

Outro and how to find The Wine Pair Podcast 37:03

Ok, so, Carmela, it is just about time for us to go, but before we do, we want to thank you very much for listening to us - and if you haven’t done so yet, now would be the perfect time to subscribe to our podcast and also a fantastic time to leave us a nice rating and review on our website or Apple podcasts or other podcast service - and it is an awesome and free way to support us and help us grow listeners.

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Alright, with that, we are going to sign off, so thanks again, and we will see you next time. And, as we say, life is short, so stop drinking shitty wine.

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