Prior de Scala Dei

Prior is a very fine wine, one with personality, a wine that emanates tradition and authenticity, and most interesting when it comes to getting better acquainted with the richness of this extraordinary denomination. It's a wine which will captivate the nose, as well as surprise you if you've already seen the label. You may well read it through again to make sure you've got it right. A Priorat? You'll have your doubts for a while. Decant it and carry on sniffing. It's not its composition, because along with the historic Garnacha and Cariñena varieties, there's also some Cabernet and Syrah; it's the terroir. The soil leaves its mark.

Prior has a complex nose yet at the beginning the outstanding aromas are woody, of Mediterranean pine groves in particular and fir trees, which will make you think at first of a wine from neighbouring Montsant. Some of the grapes used in making this wine come from the typical slatey 'llicorella' soils, but also from the clayey ground of the higher altitude vineyards. Just as there are Montsant wines with a Priorat soul, there are wines in the Priorat with a Montsant spirit, or on entry at least. This is one of them, as you will discover.

Celler Scala Dei is the winery most closely linked to the Priorat's history. The Priorat's cradle, it was also the first winery in the denomination to bottle wine, in 1974. The winery has always owned the same vineyards, so both the vines and the vine-growing team know the terroir well. The majority are Garnacha grapevines, but there are also some very old Cariñenas, planted in 1904, as well as Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Around 60 ha of vineyards in total, distributed among 42 different estates, with very varied orientations, altitudes and soil types, a diversity that we find in their wines, with Prior not only no exception but also the one which best picks this up, made as it is with grapes from several parcels.