Celler Castellet is a small family winery founded in 2005 in Porrera, one of the nine villages of DOQ Priorat, by three brothers from the Castellet family. The project revives work begun by their great-grandparents, who were forced to abandon the vineyards after the late-19th-century phylloxera epidemic; the family replanted vines in 1997, introducing a small amount of foreign varieties without diminishing the role of native ones.
All production comes from the La Solana de Mas d'en Pubill estate, 12 hectares in total (4.4 hectares planted), with llicorella soil, the slate typical of Priorat. It is a poor soil that limits yield but gives the wines minerality and structure. Carinyena (Carignan) and Garnatxa Negra (Grenache) are the main varieties grown, alongside smaller amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.
The winery produces three red wines — Empit Selecció, Empit Castellet and Ferral Castellet — all marked by the mineral character of the terroir. It operates two small buildings in the center of Porrera, one for winemaking and aging in fine-grain French oak barrels, and another for bottle aging. Visits to the estate and cellar are offered by appointment.
Imatge: Marc Padró, Salus Àlvarez Duran & Borja Penalba · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Sources: turismepriorat.org · enoguia.cat · porrera.org