Priorat covers a small area in northeastern Spain near the town of Tarragona. The area is of volcanic origin, which confers interesting characteristics to the soil and eventually, the wine. It’s characterized by its unique terroir of black slate and quartz soil with small particles of mica that reflects the sunlight and conserves heat. The topsoil is thick which helps keep the vines firmly anchored to the earth during the strong winds and storms which are common to the area.

Mas Igneus is one of the most recent wineries in the Priorat area and the first to produce organic wines. They cultivate and manage the vineyard by hand as the terrain is very steep and vines are either planted on hillsides or on terraces cut into the mountains. The Barranc dels Closos is produced from grapes with an average vine age of 30 years. The resulting wine is powerful and seductive.

Made with a blend of 75% Garnatxa Negra (Catalan for Grenache) and 25% Carinyena (or Carignan), this wine offers rich aromas of earth, black cherry, blueberry, and licorice, that make you want to dip your nose in for another satisfying sniff. On the palate it’s lush and full with black fruits, wonderful depth, and ripe tannins. It’s super concentrated, but with easy finesse.

It’s nice served with a Pasta Carbonara, grilled meats, or even heartier vegetarian fare.