The view at Clos Figueras.
It’s difficult to imagine, standing among Priorat’s steep, slate-covered vineyards, that this severe landscape was once considered expendable. By European standards, its ascent has been unusually fast. Today, the region’s wines command global attention, and its slopes are a big draw for collectors and sommeliers alike.
Clos Figueras sits at the heart of this transformation as a clear example of how vision, timing, and belief reshaped one of Spain’s most unlikely success stories.
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Joan Sangenis Juncosa.
In a region celebrated for its modern renaissance, this 245-year-old family estate reflects what Priorat has always been.
The cobblestones beneath our feet are worn smooth by centuries of harvest traffic. On our left stands a stone building more than 300 years old; on our right, its younger sibling from 1850, built because the family needed more space.
This is Celler Cal Pla in Porrera, and within minutes of meeting Joan Sangenis Juncosa, we came to understand that ‘more space’ has been a recurring theme here since 1780.
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Dr. Xavier Estivill was our first stop on what would be a single, tightly packed day in Priorat. In hindsight, there was no better place to begin.
Dr. Xavier Estivill.
We met him in one of his vineyards above Cornudella de Montsant, where he quickly set the tone, walking us through the site’s soils, elevation, and exposure in a way that brought immediate clarity to the landscape. It was a perspective that stayed with us, shaping how we understood everything that followed.
That introduction unfolded into a deeper discussion of the region’s history and geology, delivered with a precision that reflects his scientific background. It continued later at his winery, Celler Gritelles, where tasting through his wines gave concrete form to what he had outlined in the vineyard.
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We recently made our first visit to Priorat. Seeing it firsthand, there’s no gradual introduction to its scale.
Old vines flanked by terraced vineyards.
Towering terraced hillsides rise into view, etched with ancient vines, the full scale registering all at once.
Jagged ridgelines, stacked terraces, and sun-drenched slate soils define the landscape, where gnarled old vines cling improbably to slopes so steep they still require the steady footing of mules.
Set inland from the Mediterranean, Priorat is surrounded by mountains that form a natural amphitheatre of vineyards. Its dynamic topography is marked by vineyards carved into rock, punctuated by olive groves and hazelnut trees.
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