Costers Del Priorat Petit Pissarres 2019, Priorat, Spain

Petit Pissarres is derived from the word ‘pizarra,’ which is ‘slate’ in Spanish. The unique soil of Priorat is a critical quality factor for the wines. Grapes are sourced from three vineyards in Sant Martí, Mas Alsera, and Les Solanes at 50m to 600m. Petit Pissarres is a blend of 60% garnacha and 40% samsó (carignan) from organically-farmed vineyards planted from 1934 to 2007 on various soil types. The result is an extremely fresh and balanced wine that reinforces the accessible character of a Mediterranean regional wine, which has challenged many drinkers’ perceptions of DOQ Priorat. Wines are made with low intervention and minimal sulfur at bottling. After a manual harvest, the wine is fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks. The different varieties in the blend are vinified separately to allow each to express itself fully. The wine is then blended and aged for six months in 225L and 500L French oak barrels – part of the barrels are new, some are two years old.