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The vineyards
The vineyards
Merum Priorati’s vineyards are located in a hostile environment and face many adversities. They produce small quantities of truly outstanding grapes.
Porrera is the ideal area for producing highly expressive wines because its vines have low vigor and produce modest yields of exceptional quality.
Each vine produces between 0.5 kg and 1.5 kg of grapes a year.
The roots of the vines have to grow down more than 12 meters to find nutrients because of the nature of the earth: the poor-quality, laminated soil; the steep slopes, which force the vines into awkward positions; and the altitude of the parcels, which exposes them to wind, storms and extremes of temperature.
These vines produce small, round, firm berries with a highly concentrated flavor.
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Winegrowing
Winegrowing
Our idea of winegrowing is rooted in our utmost respect for the land and the people who work it. Only then can we meet the demands of our most exacting customers.
We follow age-old ways of working and firmly believe that hard work delivers the highest quality. We take meticulous care of each vine, every cluster of grapes.
We are staunch believers in heroic viticulture.
At Merum Priorati, winegrowing is an immensely complicated endeavor. Most tasks are carried out by hand, since the steep slopes preclude the use of machines. Our processes take time. Every step is an effort that puts the winegrower’s body and experience to the test – it calls for close scrutiny, specialization, and patience.
As well as the tough working conditions, each parcel and every vine requires meticulous attention. Given the complex nature of the terroir—with varying amounts of sunlight, moisture, temperature, and temperature range—no two plants grow in exactly the same way.
Merum Priorati pays personalized attention to each vine to meet its own specific needs.
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Winemaking
Winemaking
Winemaking should express the terroir’s stamp on the fruits of its soil, and our expert winemakers pay as much attention to our vineyards as they do to their work in our winery.
At Merum Priorati we take a hands-off approach in pursuit of excellence and put our grapes first and foremost.
Harvest is a crucial time that marks the end of one cycle and the beginning of another. In the Priorat, harvesting is a tricky business, not only because of the tough terrain and the changing weather, but also because the grapes on each vine have to be picked at their optimal ripeness – something that seldom happens evenly.
Once the grapes on each vine have been selected, handpicked and placed in special containers, they have to be carried down the steep hillsides. This is truly heroic work.
The harvested grapes then arrive at the winery, where they are destemmed, crushed and put in steel vats to ferment and macerate for three weeks. The resulting must is then gently pressed and the wine is drained from the skins and stalks under its own weight. After 24 hours, it is transferred to oak barrels.
Inside the barrels, the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation, becoming finer and smoother through contact with the lees, yeast, proteins, and other suspended particles. The wine spends between 8 and 18 months in oak and is then blended.
Blending at Merum Priorati depends on the harvest – every year is different. We strive to ensure that our wines express the fruit and essence of the terroir.
Once they have been bottled, our wines are stored at the winery for one to four years. When they reach the market, bursting with quality, they are ready for drinking.
The Merum Priorati collection has excellent cellaring potential.
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