Costers del Siurana - Clos de l'Obac is one of the founding estates of modern Priorat, started by journalist Carles Pastrana and winemaker Mariona Jarque, who in the late 1980s replanted abandoned llicorella (slate) vineyards around Gratallops, close to René Barbier's Clos Mogador. The first vintage of Clos de l'Obac was bottled in 1989.
The estate follows a fixed blend repeated year after year: Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Tempranillo and Samsó (Carignan) for the reds Clos de l'Obac and Miserere, and white Grenache, Macabeo, Xarel·lo and Muscat of Alexandria for the white Kyrie. The idea is that each vintage's climate, rather than changes to the blend, shapes the wine's character. The estate also produces Dolç de l'Obac, a sweet wine.
The project, now carried on by the couple's children, Guillem and Iona, has earned international recognition: Clos de l'Obac has been ranked among the world's 150 best wines by Slow Food's World Wine Guide. Visits to the winery are by appointment.
Imatge: Jorge Franganillo · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Sources: obac.es · obac.es · doqpriorat.org