Priorat Wine Guide: Grapes, Appellations & Producers

Catalonia's slate amphitheatre

Soil: 'Llicorella' — black licorice-coloured slate that forces roots deep for water.
Style: Dense, mineral, powerful old-vine Garnacha & Cariñena; high alcohol, schist grip.
Top sites: DOQ (one of only two top-tier appellations in Spain); 'vi de vila' village wines.
Vintages: 2010, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020
Producers: Clos MogadorClos Erasmus

Tip · Priorat is one of just two DOQ/DOCa regions (with Rioja). Its 1990s revival, led by Álvaro Palacios, made it a global cult.

Value pick

Mas Doix 'Les Crestes' · ~$30

A top estate's entry wine — real llicorella-slate minerality and old-vine intensity at the value end.

Collector pick

Álvaro Palacios 'L'Ermita' · ~$1,000 · 2019

Old-vine Garnacha from a tiny slate terrace — Spain's most famous and collectible modern wine.

Priorat's value ring

Tip · Montsant nearly surrounds Priorat — a smart hunting ground for the same rugged Garnacha style without the Priorat premium.

Value pick

Celler de Capçanes 'Mas Donís' · ~$15

Old-vine Garnacha grown beside Priorat — the same rugged style for pocket-money prices.

Collector pick

Celler de Capçanes 'Cabrida' Old-Vine Garnacha · ~$45 · 2018

A serious old-vine Garnacha that shows Montsant's age-worthy side at a relative bargain.