Scala Dei Garnatxa 2016 Priorat, Catalonia, Spain 75cl

Scala Dei is the oldest winery in Priorat, tracing its roots to a Carthusian monastery founded in 1163, whose monks first planted vines on these slopes. It was also one of the handful of estates that launched the modern region in the 1970s, and it gives its name to the village at the foot of the Montsant mountain.

This is pure Garnatxa Negra, red Grenache, from vines around 15 to 25 years old on the steep, terraced hillsides the locals call costers. It is fermented in stainless steel rather than aged in new oak, a deliberate choice to preserve fresh fruit and show the softer, more approachable face of Priorat rather than its most powerful, extracted one.

The 2016 harvest in Priorat produced ripe, balanced Grenache, well suited to this fruit-driven, early-drinking style.

Expect bright red cherry and berry fruit, Mediterranean herbs and a distinctive mineral, stony note that comes from the famous llicorella, the slate and quartzite soil that defines the region, with a rounded palate and a gentle, savoury grip. Serve it with roast lamb, grilled vegetables, charcuterie or a hard sheep’s cheese, ideally at cool room temperature. It is drinking well now.

A characterful and genuine introduction to Priorat, one of Spain’s most prestigious red-wine regions, that keeps a real sense of place without the weight or the price of its top cuvées. If you enjoy southern-Rhône Grenache or a good Montsant, this is a natural next pour and an easy way to get to know the area.