The Wines of Celler Joan Ametller in Priorat

Of all the wineries I visited during my visit to Catalunya for the International Wine Tourism Conference last month, this was my favorite. The cellar is located on the edge of the Priorat region, and offers great views of the Montsant. 

The winery produces a wide range of white and red wines from the Priorat region. Most of the white wines come from grapes grown in the Mas de Mustardo pictured above. Their reds come from grapes grown at an older vineyard in Porrera.

Winemaker Sergio Mendez Romero presented his wines along with samples of reference aromas after giving us a brief tour of the vineyards. 

Their flagship wine is the Els Igols Priorat. At our tasting we sampled the 2005 vintage, which is currently on sale at the winery. This wine is made from mostly old-vine Garnacha blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The grapes from from their Porrera vineyards with old vines, steep slopes and slate soils. This is exactly the kind of wine I love: elegant yet powerful with mature fruit but enough minerality to keep it interesting.  This is the kind of wine that had he been able to ship it to me in the United States, I would haver purchased a case. The wine sells at the winery for under 20 Euro, an amazing value for such a quality Priorat. 

I highly recommend a visit to Celler Joan Ametller in Priorat. Tastings and tours are by appointment. Find out more at their website. If you'd like to learn more about planning a culinary and wine trip to the Priorat region, get in touch using the link below.