Top 10 Wineries in Priorat
Priorat is the most dramatic landscape in Spanish wine. Steep, terraced slate slopes (the local llicorella) rise behind the village of Gratallops in Catalonia, with vineyards that were nearly abandoned in the 1980s after a century of decline. Five outsiders — René Barbier, Álvaro Palacios, Carles Pastrana, José Luis Pérez, and Daphne Glorian — settled in the village in 1989, replanted the abandoned bush vines, and within a decade had created some of the most sought-after red wines in the world.
Álvaro Palacios
Álvaro Palacios, son of the Rioja family of the same name, was one of the original five. His L'Ermita, from a tiny parcel of century-old Garnacha vines, is one of Spain's most expensive wines. His Finca Dofí and Les Terrasses are more accessible expressions of the same estate philosophy.
Clos Mogador
René Barbier's estate; his Clos Mogador is widely considered the prototypical modern Priorat. The wine is a blend of Garnacha, Cariñena, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon, fermented in open vats and aged in mostly French oak. The estate is biodynamic.
Clos Erasmus
Daphne Glorian's tiny estate. The Clos Erasmus, from a single hillside vineyard above Gratallops, is made only in vintages of sufficient quality. The wine has a cult following and is one of the hardest Priorat wines to find at retail.
Clos Martinet
Carles Pastrana's estate. The Clos Martinet is a Garnacha-Cariñena blend with the small bush vines of the original terraces; the second wine, Menut, offers a more accessible introduction to the style.
Mas Martinet
José Luis Pérez's estate, now run by his daughter Sara Pérez. The Mas Martinet Clàssic and Bru bottlings are among the most precise expressions of the appellation. The estate is biodynamic.
Vall Llach
Founded by the Catalan singer Lluís Llach in 1999. The Vall Llach Embruix has become an entry point to the appellation; the top wine, Idus, has the depth and structure expected of the village.
Costers del Siurana
Carles Pastrana's parallel estate to Clos Martinet. The Clos de l'Obac and Miserere bottlings have been the estate's standard-bearers for over three decades.
Terroir al Límit
Dominik Huber's small estate, founded with Eben Sadie in 2001 (Sadie is no longer involved). The wines — Les Manyes, Les Tosses — are made from old-vine Garnacha at very high altitude with minimal-intervention winemaking and reflect a sea-change in how Priorat can be expressed.
Ferrer Bobet
A modern estate founded in 1999 by Sergi Ferrer-Salat and Raül Bobet. The vineyards are at higher altitude than the historic core of the appellation, and the wines have a noticeably fresher and more aromatic profile than the deeper, denser wines of the village parcels.
Scala Dei
The oldest active winery in Priorat, on the site of the medieval Carthusian monastery that gave the appellation its name (Scala Dei = the Latin name of the monastery, from which the medieval "priorat" was administered). The wines have been remade in recent vintages and now rank among the appellation's best.
Visiting Priorat
Gratallops, Porrera, and Torroja del Priorat are the central villages; most estates offer tastings by appointment. The drive from Barcelona is about two hours. Find every Priorat estate on the interactive map — filter to Priorat.