Arrels del Priorat

Arrels del Priorat was founded in 1997 on the initiative of René Barbier, of Clos Mogador, and Jaume Balaguer, of Celler Balaguer i Cabré, with a very specific purpose: to rescue the Priorat's great rancio wines from oblivion. They tracked down private homes across the area that still kept the tradition of making these wines, selected and refined those soleras, and in 1998 brought the first bottles to market as a tribute to the region's winemaking origins — hence the winery's name, which means "roots of the Priorat."

The project works exclusively with overripe Grenache, rooted in the region's steep slate (llicorella) slopes, and produces its wines through the solera system, aged in century-old oak and chestnut barrels that lend a deliberately oxidative character and naturally high alcohol content. The flagship wine, Arrels 30 anys, is a blend of soleras more than three decades old, made in very limited quantities (around 500 bottles), with notes of dried fruit, honey and quince and a silky, glycerin-rich texture.

Besides Arrels, the winery produces other limited-edition rancio wines such as Cal Piró (60 years) and Ca les Viudes (100 years), each sourced from specific family homes in Gratallops. These wines are meant as digestifs or to accompany desserts and nuts such as almonds and hazelnuts, and have received recognition including a 96-point score from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.

Imatge: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Sources: turismepriorat.org · bonviure.blogspot.com