ESTATE

32 hectares of the finest vineyards in the Priorat region, with some vines over one hundred years old.

Rated the #1 winery in Priorat by top wine critics, sommeliers and international judges in a 10-year blind tasting among our peers.

Llicorella Soils

Llicorella, the dense slate soil of Priorat, is the main contributor to the unmistakable identity of our wines. As the soil is unable to retain water, the vine roots are forced to push themselves deep into the terrain in search of moisture.

The result is a slow growth of the grapes and a deeper concentration of flavour.

Costers & Terraces

The sloping profile of our landscape makes viticulture a uniquely labour intensive process and due to this we plant our vines on both costers and terraces.

A coster is a vineyard planted on a steep incline. As the slopes retain very little water, the growth of the vine is stunted and it yields fewer grapes - but the grapes from these vines have an exceptional concentration of flavour.

A terrace is a flat surface carved into the face of the hillside and thus favours better water retention.

The Vines

Our oldest vines are over 100 years old, and our primary plantings are Garnacha and Carinena. We also have small plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo and Syrah.

A very tiny proportion of our vines are Garnacha Blanca and Macabeu, which we use to make just one single barrel of the most exquisite white wine each year.

Why vines struggle

Our vines are starved for water, exposed on steep slate hillsides - often baking by day and freezing by night. Vines prefer to grow in moist and shady jungles. The fruit they produce is an effort by the vines to seduce birds into whisking their offspring away to a better life. The more the vines struggle the harder they may try to attract the birds - so the more intensely expressive the fruit they produce.

The Winemaker

Josep Angel Mestre was raised in the town of Falset, D.O.Q. Priorat. The Mestre family has been producing wine in the Priorat region for over 50 years and his intense love for his surrounding countryside and an interest in the practice of wine-making prompted Josep Angel to begin studying both Agricultural and Technical Engineering and Enology from the prestigious University Roveria and Virgili in Catalunya.

Josep Angel has a deep understanding of the two most important factors of winemaking: the viticulture and the chemistry, and has also studied winemaking in France and attended numerous international technical conferences on the newest techniques in the profession.