Celler Melis was founded in Torroja del Priorat when Javier López, an agricultural engineer with an MBA from UC Davis, bought an old farmhouse and land in the municipality around 1999-2000. Building on the existing old Carignan vines, he replanted and expanded the estate with high-density, low-yield Garnacha, Carignan, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, grown on the region's characteristic slate (llicorella) terraces at altitudes between 270 and 400 metres. The winery occupies an early-19th-century stone building in the old town of Torroja, a former winery that had been abandoned in the mid-20th century and was rebuilt in 2004.
Since 2005 the project has been joined by winemaker Toni Sánchez, who holds a degree in chemistry and a PhD in oenology, working alongside López on the wines. The first Melis, the estate's flagship DOQ Priorat label, was released with the 2004 vintage and earned 94 points from Robert Parker, a review that helped bring the winery international attention. The range has since grown to include other DOQ Priorat wines such as Elix and Obrador, while under the Saurí name the estate produces a young, fresh DO Montsant wine launched in 2007.
The winery farms organically, with certification held since 2017, and offers guided vineyard and cellar visits with tastings, as well as longer experiences such as sunset tastings or oil-and-food pairings, always by prior reservation.
Imatge: Mª África · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Sources: turismepriorat.org · enoturismoatuaire.com · doqpriorat.org