Herencia del Padri

Newstime：2009-07-13 01:32:13 Befrom： Writer：

History

This estate is located in Catalonia, 200 km south of Barcelona. The vineyards are planted on steep slopes at an altitude of 700m. The vine has been established in this area by Sant Brut Carthaginian monks in the 12th century. All work in the vineyard is done manually, because of the steep slopes.
Priorat
Priorato - called Priorat in Catalan - is a small, unique pocket of black hills where powerful, deep red wines of superb quality have been made for over eight centuries. The quality of the wines, both the traditional and the new, is founded on a unique microclimate and soil . It is this terroir and the mixture of old and new wines that have made Priorato one of the most closely watched European growing areas. The origins of winemaking in the region date back to the 12th century, when the monks of the Carthusian Monastery of Scala Dei - originally called a priory, or priorat in Catalan and founded in 1163 - introduced the art of viticulture. Legend has it that the monastery was named after the ‘ladder of God’ seen by a shepherd in a dream on the site.
Located in the province of Tarragona, the DO leaped to fame in the last decade after producers began to apply new technologies in their winemaking. Since then the vineyards, planted at the beginning of the eighties with French as well as native varieties, have produced the acclaimed ‘new Prioratos’ . Today these wines have become some of the best known not only in Spain but also internationally.
At the end of the 19th century phylloxera devastated the vineyards, which were replanted with almond, hazelnut and olive trees. The decimation of nearly all the grape vines in the district led the impoverished population to emigrate from the area. Replanting, with the goal of creating wines of the highest quality, began only in the 1950s. From 1985 to 1995 the DO halted all bulk exports to concentrate on high quality bottled wines.

The red wines may be young or aged up to Gran Reserva category. These are dark, purplish wines, very full-bodied and sometimes slightly astringent, but also with remarkable smoothness, balance and subtleties. White and rosé wines are only made for drinking young and there is no ageing. A few traditional sweet generoso wines and oxidised rancio wines are still made. They undergo at least four years of ageing.
Nowadays’ owner:Bernard Magrez
Vineyard magnate Bernard Magrez, whose holdings encompass 21 properties in the Bordeaux region, including legendary Chateau Pape-Clement, and 11 other properties throughout the world, is the man behind this little superstar of a wine. As with all of his properties, everything is done by hand with the help of oenologist consultant Michel Rolland. They make a fabulously rich and concentrated wine from poor soil that is made for winegrowing.
Technique information
Location: Porrera, 200 km south of Barcelona.
Appellation: Denominació d’Origen Qualificada Priorat
Neighboring Chateau:
Acreage: 4 hectares
Soil: Schist soil on steep slopes
Grape Varieties: 55% Carignan, 21% Grenache, 15% Merlot, and 9% Cabernet.
Average age of vines:40-75 years.
Cultivation Density: 3,600 to 4,000 vines per hectare.
Viticulture:Gobelet pruning on untrellised vines. Bunch thinning at the beginning of ripening.
Winemaking: The grapes are hand-picked into small crates and partly destemmed by hand before sorting on a specially-equipped table. Cool pre-fermentation maceration is followed by traditional temperature controlled fermentation. The cap is punched down manually. Malolactic fermentation and ageing in new French oak barrels. The wine is transferred by gravity flow throughout all winemaking operations and is bottled by hand.
Yield: 27 hectoliters per hectare
Brand: Heréncia del Padri(First Label)(DOQ Priorat)
Annually Production: 15,000 bottles
Character:Excellent primary fruit. Great structure, richness and acid balance, with integrated wood notes. Supple fresh finish. Very good, enjoy when young.
Best Vintage:
Awards:
Website: www.bernard-magrez.com
Serving Suggestion
Cellar Humidity and Temperature: 70-95%，14-18 ℃
Serving Temperature:17-19 °C
Optimum Drinking and Ageing Potential:5~7 years; about 15 years.
Food Match: puff pastry with duck, roquefort cheese, ham in port wine, liver pate; duck skewers; pork marinated in herbs; pork with beans; spicy pork meat balls.
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