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FORTIFIED WINE and SWEET WINE

Costers del Priorat 'Memòries Dolç Ranci', Priorat, Spain 2019 [375ML]

  • $63.00

Selling fast  - 1 left

GARNACHA BLANCA, GRENACHE BLANC, and OTHER WHITE
SWEET & COMPLEX and NUTTY
ORGANIC FARMING
CRITIC SCORE 90+ and COLLECTIBLE & CELLAR-WORTHY
PRIORAT and CATALUNYA
SPAIN

Jose Mas Barberá and his Costers del Priorat is a leading voice in the evolution of the wines of Priorat, producing distinctive wines rooted in the terroir of the Catalan countryside. The wines of Costers del Priorat emphasize nuance and elegance over power, a philosophical departure from the strong, tannic wines that once defined the region.

Memòries Dolç Vi Ranci comes from the long tradition in Priorat of making sweet and rancio wines. Catalunya is home to one of the oldest forms of winemaking, a tradition for aged dry wines that pre-dates modern viticulture. Known as Vi Ranci, these are dry, unfortified wines that are often kept in the sun in glass demijohns, then transferred to partially filled old oak barrels for no less than 5 years. It is this oxidation process, further evolving over decades in soleras, that gives rise to the bouquet of unique tastes that characterizes Rancio. 

Historically, it was customary for families to store an old barrel of rancio somewhere deep in the cellar, which was only consumed by family members at important moments in life. Traditionally, when a son left the family house, the parents gave him a portion of the solera. This ensured that the family’s rancio tradition lived on in a new home, each generation passing onto the next a piece of their heritage and family memories. Hence this wine, Memòries, which represents the strong bond with ancestral practices, a tribute to the centuries-long efforts of the families who built Priorat.

Winemaker: Jose Mas Barberá
Farming: Organic
Variety: sun-dried Garnacha Blanca grapes
Terroir: Sant Martí hills in Priorat at 300m to 375m asl. Vines planted from 1934 to 2000 on Red Llicorella

Vinification: Memòries blends sweet and rancio wines. The sweet element comes from sun-dried garnacha blanca grapes. Once the grapes are dehydrated as desired, they are gently pressed and the must is fermented spontaneously with native yeasts and fermentation comes to a stop on its own once the alcohol reaches 18.5% naturally. The resulting sweet wine is blended with rancio (20%) from a 1927 solera to create the nectar of the gods
Tasting Note:

Pairings: Memòries is the ideal wine to pair with salted chocolate and nuts, particularly hazelnuts.

Jose’s work in very privileged old vineyards in nine out of the twelve villages of Priorat allows him to focus on the different terroirs of Priorat, but with a unique twist. The majority of his plantings are carignan-based, and this includes his two most important sites, Mas Alsera and Sant Martí. All his limited production wines are classified as Vielles Vinyes (old vines), a designation that uses US WWII aerial maps to certify vineyards that are over 75 years old or planted before 1945