In the late 1970s, the couple formed by journalist Carles Pastrana (Tarragona) and oenologist Mariona Jarque (Barcelona) embarked on the adventure of their lives: dedicating their professional and family future to the project of recovering Priorat wines and subsequently projecting their wines internationally. Thirty years after those beginnings, together with their two children, Guillem and Iona, who have become an essential part of this story, have established a project that is now known and recognized worldwide.

PRIORAT D.O.Q

In 1979, Carles Pastrana and Mariona Jarque revived the family winemaking tradition by initiating a long adventure aimed at rescuing the ancient Carthusian wines in the heart of the lands once overseen by the former priors of Scala Dei, a monastery located in the Priorat region. They created the properties Clos de l’Obac and Miserere, replanted vineyards on the banks of the Siurana River in the pre-coastal region of Catalonia, and established Clos de l’Obac winery. Starting from 1989 the first wines are produced, and CLOS DE L’OBAC becomes one of the 150 best wines in the world according to the World Wine Guide (Slowfood).

1978 - “The New Priorats”

Between the late 1970s and the early 1980s, oenologist Mariona Jarque (Barcelona 1960) and journalist Carles Pastrana (Tarragona 1952), along with a group of people from different European countries involved in the wine trade, began a project to replant vines on the steep slate hills of the Paleozoic Era located in the southwest of Catalonia.

This was an extremely challenging region known as the Historic Priorat, where, for centuries, the rural economy relied on viticulture and winemaking in a rugged and difficult-to-access geography. From the 12th century until the 19th century, this land was administered by the monks of the religious community of the Priorat of Escaladei, a member of the Grande Chartreuse in France.

1981 - The Project and International Interest

Known as the New Priorats, stricto sensu, the project was born in Tarragona in 1978 as a result of the reunion of two childhood friends, René Barbier and Carles Pastrana. They set out on the challenge of replanting vineyards and reviving the wines from this extremely harsh land known as Priorat. 

However, this project would not generate much interest for many years, until 1981, when international specialized media, would rank these new wines among the best in the world; an event that would spark the revival and global recognition of what had been until then the most depressed region in Catalonia for the past few decades.

1984 - Plantations

The works began in the mid 80s with the recovery of old vineyards still in production and, mainly, with new plantations on the abandoned slate slopes that had been neglected for decades. 

Five years later – 1989 – the first harvest was produced based on modern concepts and technologies, the introduction of new grape varieties, and oenological knowledge that made it possible to produce the first fine aging wines from Priorat. These wines were structured, elegant, and noble.

Topography

One of the most exciting aspects of making wine in Priorat is deciding on the key factors that will give the wine its characteristics. The irregular topography of the slate hills (llicorella) is one of the determining factors, as is the composition of the soil. The orientation of the vines, the type of cultivation, and the selected grape varieties, are also essential.

Cultivation

For Clos de l’Obac and Miserere wines, the grape varieties used are Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot, Ull de Llebre (Tempranillo), and Samsó (Carignan). 

For the white wine Kyrie, White Grenache, Macabeu, Xarel·lo, and Alexandria Muscat are used.

Vineyards

Among the grape varieties, Grenache, Samsó, and Cabernet Sauvignon come from old goblet trained vineyards, aged from fifty to eighty years. The rest of the vines have an average age of 25 years and are trained or retrained, using the double Cordon Royat or double branch vine training technique.

The Fruit & the Feeling

In Priorat, the challenge of creating a great wine lies in combining the factors that will ultimately give it its unique personality. This is achieved through a creative process so exhilarating that it compels dedicating one’s life to it. 

When you have tasted a wine and have come to know the people who made it, you can discover and understand the delicate connection between man and the land, work and rest, wisdom and boldness, feelings and senses.

Fixed Coupage

Clos de l’Obac, Miserere, and Kyrie wines follow a pattern that repeats the same varieties and blend every year, according to the predetermined blend chosen for each wine.

The purpose is for the climatic characteristics of the D.O.Q. to define the personality of each wine, instead of modifying the true characteristics of every vintage through a random blend that changes every year.

With this method, despite climate variations, the challenge is to produce a great wine out of every harvest, and for the wine to reflect the distinctive features of the four seasons in a year.

Natural Stabilization

Costers del Siurana wines undergo an extremely precise and meticulous aging process. Once the wine is finished and depending on the outdoor temperatures, it is left to rest in fermentation and storage vats for three to four months, in contact with the intense cold of winter, to achieve the first natural stabilization without the need for isothermal tanks and stirring paddles.

Racking and Rest

Subsequently, the wine is transferred by gravity to the aging cellar. There, it will remain in French oak barrels from the Limousin, Allier, and Nevers regions for ten to fifteen months. During this time, it undergoes decantation through controlled manual rackings by candlelight. This process separates the sediments that accumulate at the bottom of the barrels and could soil the wine and alter its flavors.

During the aging months, the barrels are exposed to the winter cold of Priorat, achieving a second natural stabilization. At the same time, manual clarifications using egg white fining are carried out barrel by barrel.

History

The decision of where a monastic community would be established was neither casual nor arbitrary. It had to consider aesthetic, geographic, climatic, social, political, economic, and religious factors to ensure the community’s survival in both good and bad times.

The Priorat of Scala Dei was founded in 1194 by the King of Catalonia, Alfons I the Chaste. But in 1151, a small community of monks already lived in the village of Poboleda, where, among other things, they had probably already recognized the natural virtues of the place. So, what were these virtues?

Geography

In the south of Catalonia, between the coastal and pre-coastal mountain ranges, Priorat is a land of hills and slopes oriented in all four cardinal directions, with an average elevation of 350 meters. 

The region is characterized by rich slate substrates on both sides of the Siurana River. In this rugged geography, the vineyards benefit from exceptionally rich soil and a microclimate created by the imposing Serra del Montsant, a natural barrier of 1166 meters that regulates the region’s temperature, protecting it from the northern elements. 

Lanscape

This combination of climate, topography, and slate soil (llicorella) imparts distinct organoleptic characteristics, giving Priorat wines the unique personality praised by wine experts and sommeliers worldwide.

Ultimately, a landscape of pine, oak, holm oak, cistus, rosemary, thyme, bramble, juniper, vine, almond, fig, carob, and many other plant species, coexist with eagles, roe deer, rabbits, partridges, crows, kestrels, and wild boars. Together, they define a landscape of unforgettable aesthetics and spirituality.