Hoog in het achterland van Tarragona, in het onherbergzame gebergte van Catalunya waar slechts goed uitgeruste wandelaars en avonturiers zich durven te begeven, bevindt zich het mooiste wijnlandschap van Spanje: Priorat. Ondanks dat dit één van de twee DOCa’s (de hoogste kwalificatie, de andere is Rioja) van Spanje is, is de streek minder bekend dan bijvoorbeeld Rioja of Ribera del Duero. Dat heeft alles te maken dat de hier schaarse wijnmakers de uitdaging hebben in het keiharde, mineraalrijke gesteente op de steile terraswijngaarden druivenstokken aan de grond te krijgen en de volumes daardoor bijzonder laag zijn. De kwaliteit is daarentegen ‘mind-blowing’.

Pas in de jaren 80 van de vorige eeuw werd Priorat herontdekt door de 'godfathers’ van Priorat (René Barbier en Alvaro Palacios). Christopher Cannan en zijn vrouw Charlotte, wijnhandelaren in Bordeaux, volgden de ontwikkelingen in Priorat sindsdien op de voet en traden in hun voetsporen door in 1997 Clos Fiqueras in het hart van Priorat te stichten. Het terroir is hier uitzonderlijk te noemen. Er heerst een microklimaat met lange, warme zomers dat getemperd wordt door de hoogte van de wijngaarden en de frisse wind vanaf de Middellandse zee. De wijngaarden staan op een bodem waar wijnmakers van over de hele wereld jaloersmakend over spreken: llicorella. De oeroude wijnranken wortelen ontzettend diep (soms wel 10 meter) in dit keiharde vulkanische gesteente, vol van zwartbruin leisteen met microdeeltjes mica kwarts, op zoek naar water in de onderliggende kleibodem. Het zal u niet verbazen dat er nauwelijks druiven groeien aan deze hardwerkende druivenranken, maar de kwaliteit en de stijl van de wijnen van dit topterroir is uniek en onmiskenbaar Priorat. 

2020 was atypical in Priorat, and the 2020 Font de la Figuera has 14.5% alcohol, a full 1% less than the 2019 I tasted next to it. It's young, perfumed and elegant, with very fine tannins. It's still marked by the toast from the barrels where it spent some 12 months. It should develop nicely in bottle. 7,700 bottles reflect a lower crop this year. It was bottled in March 2022.

Mostly Grenache and Carignan, with Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon added as salt and pepper. Average age of the vines is around 25 years. Aged for 12 months in 500-litre partly new French oak. Very sophisticated and complex nose. No over ripeness here, but ripe red and black fruit with slatey, smoky minerality, black pepper, sage, bramble, and nuanced oak notes. There is a floral, violet lift in the wine, perhaps explained by the Syrah being whole-bunch fermented. Smooth and polished tannins, while still firmly present. Velvety texture, comparable to the wines of Bordeaux’ Margaux. Good intensity and purity of fruit, and with very high fruit quality. Improves in the glass, suggesting a long live ahead of it. Lots of power on the palate, with the long finish being surprisingly elegant and fresh. Delightful.

A blend made from Viognier (60%), Grenache Blanc (35%) and Chenin Blanc (5%). Fun fact: the Viognier vines were once thought to be Cabernet Sauvignon. Average age of the vines is around 25 years. Complex and aromatic. A lot of texture and grip on the palate, while also carrying a great amount of freshness and floral elegance. Waxy, soft texture. Ripe stone and orchard fruit, salty minerality, bread dough and nuanced herbal notes of anise and lemongrass. Good acidity to balance the waxy richness of the wine. Very gastronomic, being able to stand up to intensely flavored dishes. Wonderful balance of the fruit and aromatics of Viognier, the weight and grip of Grenache Blanc, and the freshness and elegance of Chenin Blanc. Long and persistent finish. The wine is partly fermented in oak but is aged in stainless steel, partly explaining the rich texture without overt oaky, vanilla notes being present. Delicious example of how a wine can express freshness without it just being about acidity. Truly speaks of modern style of white Priorat, and exemplary in the style.

Fresh and spicy nose full of fennel, dried Mediterranean herbs and white fruit. Broad and textured on the palate with a distinctive, almost sweetish note at the start, with some anise and licorice. It is waxy, phenolic and broad with lots of spiced white fruit on the palate. Just needs more energy. Drink now.

Made from very old vine Grenache and Carignan fruit with vines going back to the 1930s, with a bit of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon blended in – all from the original Clos Figueres vineyard (while the wine is named Clos Figueres, after the original Catalan name of the vineyard, Christopher’s company is called Clos Figueras, as the name had to be in Spanish at the time of the founding of the company in 1997). Velvety texture, quite smooth but still with immense structure and tannic grip. Perfectly ripe, high-quality fruit. More emphasis on black fruit here than the Font de la Figuera, showing ripe black cherry, blueberry, smoky minerality, espresso, liquorice and dried herbs. The alcohol level of 15.5% is effortlessly balanced by the intense fruit flavours. Great freshness and elegance, especially on the finish, which goes on for minutes. Very intense, lots of power here. It has a certain floral, elegant lift to it, keeping the wine quite elegant and sophisticated. Oak is present but seamlessly integrated into the wine, a result of the wine being fermented and aged in the same 500-litre barrels. A phenomenal effort, which according to Christopher is yet to reach its peak. Quality-wise, this wine stands shoulder to shoulder with other famous clos wines, and is an ambassador of the region. Exceptional.

The very young 2020 Clos Figueres has notes of esparto grass and other Mediterranean herbs and flowers. Despite having similar alcohol levels to the 2018 and 2019 I tasted next to it, this 2020 feels a little lighter, but it is still powerful and has abundant, fine-grained tannins that are going to require some time in bottle to get resolved.

Colour: cherry, purple rim; Aroma: black fruit, ripe fruit, dried herbs, smoky, mineral; Flavour: fruity, flavourful, balanced, smoky aftertaste, toasty, good structure.