Barcelona-born architect Alfredo Arribas started his wine project in Priorat in 2001 after purchasing the Clos del Portal estate in the southern area of the appellation close to the villages of El Lloar and Bellmunt. His first incursion in the area was in neighboring Monstant, where he set up Portal del Montsant, a winery he sold in 2010. He still owns some very old vines in this appellation which are destined for his Trossos range. His latest stake in the area is Vins Nus, an extreme range of wines made from high altitude vineyards in the Montsant mountains.
As an architect, Arribas has his own ideas about how to sculpt the landscape, the way vines interact with the environment and the design of winemaking facilities. The estate combines terraced vineyards with traditional costers, or vines planted directly on a slope. With regard to the winery, Arribas thinks “it should not only blend well with its surroundings but with ever-changing winemaking practices”. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that he speaks about an “itinerant, unlimited winery”.
Clos del Portal comprises 40 hectares, 14 of which are planted with vines, mainly Garnacha (five clones have been recovered and replicated using massal selection), Cariñena, Syrah, Cabernet Franc and some experimental grape varieties.
The range includes two red blends: Negre de Negres (around €20 in Spain, 25,000 bottles) comes from the earliest ripening grapes, and Somni (€37, 4,500 bottles), which offers a deeper, more concentrated expression. Single vineyard Tros de Clos (€52) is a 100% Cariñena sourced from a coster plot planted in 1911. The striking labels have been designed by illustrator Gregori Saavedra and display drawings based on 12 different stories.
The entry-level range Gotes comes from grapes sourced from neighbouring vineyards showing a fresh, direct expression of the area. Grapes are harvested earlier than the other ranges and usually fermented in whole bunches. Gotes Negre (€14) is a blend of Garnacha and Cariñena while Gotes Blanques (€14) is a single-varietal White Garnacha.
Oenologist Joan Asens, who used to work for Álvaro Palacios and runs his own project in Montsant (Orto Vins), is in charge of winemaking.
