Cruor 2019

Founded in the year 2000, Casa Gran del Siurana is the Perelada project in the Priorat region. Situated at Bellmunt del Priorat, the winery comprises two clearly distinguishable estates: Casa Gran, 10 hectares of land rich in fluvial sediment and also the location for the winery buildings which once belonged to Carthusian monks; and La Fredat, 40 hectares of 'llicorella' land littered with shards of slate, and set out on terraces with different orientations and heights that confer an extensive range of nuances on the grapes. Cruor starts life on the La Fredat estate and the mineral character of these slate soils clearly permeates the wine's personality. You can appreciate this just by opening the bottle and pouring the wine with your eyes closed: it's undeniably a Priorat. For anyone who may still have any doubt about this terroir's exceptional quality, take a look at the composition, apart from the native Garnacha and Samsó, Cruor contains a high percentage of foreign grape variety Syrah. Nevertheless, its personality is defined by the soil (the unmistakable 'llicorella'), the climate (the Mediterranean warmth), the setting, the countryside (the aromatic plants which perfume the glass)..., in short, the terroir. Harvested by hand at their optimal point of ripeness, each variety is vinified separately in stainless steel tanks before starting its maturation process, over a period of 16 months in 225-litre French oak barrels, 50% of which are new and the rest second year. The result is a mineral and intense wine which reflects extremely well just what constitutes the character of traditional Priorats, while at the same time appearing modern and serious, as one would expect from a winery in the Perelada Group; a Priorat that allows true appreciation of the fruit's ripeness, the very fine acidity and the slate's freshness. How very easy it is to drink comes as a pleasant surprise: all in all, a Priorat with lots of typicity, fresh, silky, unctuous, and highly recommendable.