Description
The wines from Clos Figueras are authentic jewels, thanks to a privileged soil and a vision that the Cannan family had back in 1997, when they were among the first to arrive in a region that was potentially pure gold.
Board Characteristics
Store: Own vineyards, Clos Figueras, Gratallops (Tarragona), carry out manual harvesting.
DOC Priorat
Add: 2018
Grade: 14,50%
Variety: 60% Garnacha and 40% Carignan
Tasting note: Intense red red wine with a lively rim that still denotes youth. Clean and good tear formation. Intense aroma of fresh and ripe red fruits with a floral finish, followed by certain minty and smoky notes. A cheerful, expressive and light wine. The Clos Figueres stands out for its elegance, complexity and finesse.
Operating temperature: 16-18ºC
Preparation: Fermentation in open barrels of 300 and 500 liters. Treatment of the pasta with daily "pigeage". Subsequently, a two-week maceration is carried out. Vertical press with a gentle pressing.
Aging in 300-500 liter French oak barrels.
The wine ages 14 months in new and one-year barrels.
Pairing: En Made in Spain Gourmet We recommend it for roast lamb, Iberian acorn-fed ham, Wild boar, Red meat with sauce, Duck, Roasts, Beef, Deer
The region has the coveted DOCa...
Currently, the region has the coveted "Qualified Denomination of Origin" designation that in Spain is only shared with Rioja.
The Priorat Qualified Designation of Origin is a small mountainous region located in the province of Tarragona. The Sierra de Montsant massif delimits it to the north, to the west is the Sierra de La Figuera, to the east is the Sierra de Molló and, to the south, the territory opens up following the course of the Siurana river downstream towards the Ebro The Siurana river and its tributaries are the main geographical artery of the area, and cause a series of valleys and small plains thanks also to the geological sinuosity of the mountains and mountain slopes. In accordance with the legislation of Catalonia regarding the regional administrative division, the territory of the DOCa Priorat falls within a more extensive administrative delimitation known as the "Comarca del Priorat", which also has a part of territory that is not part of the wine-growing Priorat .
The Priorat Qualified Designation of Origin has an area of 17.629 hectares, of which 2.163,97 are planted with vines and cultivated by 513 winegrowers. Administratively, 9 municipalities are part of the DOCa Priorat: Bellmunt del Priorat, Gratallops, El Lloar, El Molar, La Morera de Montsant (which includes the town of Scala Dei), Poboleda, Porrera, Torroja del Priorat, La Vilella Alta and La Vilella Baixa. In addition, within the limits of the DOQ Priorat there is also the northern part of the municipality of Falset (the Masos de Falset area) and the eastern part of the municipality of El Molar (Les Solanes del Molar). La Morera de Montsant, Scala Dei, Gratallops, Torroja del Priorat, Porrera and Poboleda formerly made up the Priorat de la Cartuja de Scala Dei. The rest were included in the delimitation of the appellation of origin that was carried out in 1932 and that makes up the current territory of the DOCa Priorat. As a consequence of the expansion of the cultivation of the vine and the quality of its wines, promoted, encouraged and dominated by the Carthusian monks, the area acquired worldwide renown that makes it today one of the most important wine-growing areas in the world.
The Clos Figueras Estate
Clos Figueras has an excellent vineyard, with the classic 'llicorella', in the famous gratallops area of the Priorat appellation.
The property was purchased in October 1997 by Charlotte and Christopher Cannan on the recommendation of René Barbier, owner of the famous Clos Mogador estate and founder of the “new wave” Priorat movement during the late 1980s. An initial purchase of approximately 10 hectares of abandoned terraces was followed by a new acquisition in 2000 to complete the 18-hectare farm.
Clos Figueras has an excellent vineyard, with the classic 'llicorella' as the soil where the vines grow, in the famous Gratallops area of the Priorat qualified designation of origin.
Clos Figueras is located in the Priorat wine region and offers a free guided tour of the property's winery, including wine tasting. In addition, there is a restaurant and a large terrace with tables to eat. All rooms at Clos Figueras have views of the garden or the vineyards and mountains.
the original vineyard
The original vineyard had a small plot of old Carignan vines planted. the rest have been replanted with Grenache, Syrah, a very small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvedre and Viognier. Later, it was expanded with a second purchase including around 2.500 old vines of Cariñena and Garnacha, some of which were over 60 years old.
Selection of the vines
Christopher traveled to the Rhône Valley to visit a specialized nursery and select the vines that were planted after the American graft. He preferred the local Garnacha Negra, as well as Syrah, Monastrell, Cabernet Sauvignon and Viognier. An amusing anecdote related to the purchase of these latter vineyards is that two years after planting the Viogner in March 1998, Christopher received repeated phone calls from René Barbier asking how many Cabernet Sauvignons were purchased because the Cabernet grapes were supposedly not changing color. ! After careful examination of the leaves, almost all of the Cabernet was found to be Viognier! To do? The supplier, who admitted error, shipped 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon vines for free. However, when the Cabernet vines arrived, the Viognier looked so healthy that it was decided to leave them where they were and plant the Cabernet elsewhere. As a result, Clos Figueras has an excellent dry white wine composed of 65% Viognier complemented with Garnacha Blanca and Chenin Blanc planted later.
At the beginning of 2000, a group of owners of adjacent vineyards agreed to sell their estates to Clos Figueras. The transaction went smoothly, this gave us the opportunity to have old Garnacha and Cariñena which have since been an important ingredient for the prestigious Clos Figueres, the estate's main wine. Altogether, there is a total of 18 hectares of one piece, of which 12 are planted. The rest are olive trees or slopes too steep to plant.
The final blend, with the different grape varieties, are chosen by Anne-Joséphine and Christopher Cannan with the advice of Alain Graillot (internationally recognized for his crozes-hermitage wines that he produces in the north of the Rhone Valley).
The farm also has around 135 Arbequina olive trees that contribute to the production of the magnificent Clos Figueres Extra Virgin Olive Oil of the famous Arbequina variety with the control of the Siurana Denomination of Origin (DOP). Many of the trees are over 300 years old. The oil is packaged in an attractive 50 cl bottle. in a dark green container.
The vineyard has been cultivated always keeping in mind ecological practices, currently they have the official certificate of the authorities (CCPAE). The vines are planted at different heights that extend to the Montsant river valley, in cool places strategically chosen to delay the ripening of the grapes. The views over the wide valley of the Ebro and the mountains as a backdrop are impressive and, these protect from the cold north winds. Since March 2015 they have 3 spacious Bed&Breakfast rooms with views of the Priorat mountains.
Israel Romero -
Elegance and high class wine.