Clos Maria occupies a 230-hectare estate in the Maria valley, a protected nature reserve within DO Montsant, near Cornudella de Montsant and about 90 minutes from Barcelona. At the heart of the property stands the historic Perinet family masia, which gives the winery its name and heritage, though only 10 of the 230 hectares are actually planted with vines, terraced over the region's characteristic licorella soil.
The estate grows Carinyena (Carinena), Garnatxa, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, blending local and international varieties into three main wines: Clos Maria Negre, Clos Maria Blanc and Clos Maria Les Gibertes. Production is small and handcrafted, around 25,000 bottles per vintage.
Winemaker Toni Sanchez-Ortiz, trained at the University of Tarragona and the University Victor Segalen in Bordeaux, has spent over twenty years working in DO Montsant and DOQ Priorat and is currently pursuing a PhD on how climate change is affecting wines from the region. He describes winemaking as "a learned craft, part science and part art," and the estate offers over 10 km of walking and biking trails, with future plans to turn the masia into a clubhouse for wine-related experiences.
Imatge: Pere López Brosa · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Sources: closmaria.com · closmaria.com · closmaria.com