The Pasanau family has been settled in Poboleda since 1850, working the family land until phylloxera devastated Priorat's vineyards in the late 19th century. In 1940 great-grandfather Joan Pasanau Garcia began replanting. In the 1980s the fourth generation — brothers Joan, Albert and Ricard — expanded the holdings and introduced new varieties, and in 1995 the three brothers built the present winery in la Morera de Montsant, giving rise to the Celler Pasanau brand. Since 2020 the fifth generation has taken over management.
The vineyards are spread across seven plots between 300 and 720 metres of altitude, from Poboleda to la Morera de Montsant, on llicorella (slate) soils farmed organically; the winery calls them "high-altitude wines". Old-vine Grenache and Carignan form the backbone, and the range includes Les Myriams (white), Ceps Nous (young red), the Vi de Vila bottlings from la Morera de Montsant and Poboleda, Los Torrents, Finca la Planeta and Vell Coster.
In 2001 Wine Spectator ranked the 1997 Finca la Planeta 58th in its Top 100 wines of the world, and the winery has also received favorable scores from Robert Parker. Visits and tastings can be arranged by prior reservation.
Imatge: antoniopolonio · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Sources: cellerpasanau.com · cellerpasanau.com · turismepriorat.org