Cims de Porrera was founded in 1996 with the aim of exploiting the full potential of the vineyards of the village of Porrera in the Priorat Qualified Designation of Origin (Q.D.O.). Some of the vineyards are over 100 years old and consist mainly of the Carignan variety, which is highly prized for its colour, tannins and excellent coupage. Carignan, along with the light and fruity Garnatxa variety, constitute the two main native grape varieties of Priorat. The three wines – Cims de Porrera Clàssic, Cims de Porrera Garnatxa and Vi de Vila de Porrera are three classic wines produced from the vineyards belonging to the Porrera cooperative, where the vines have an extremely low yield and grow in llicorella soil, the typical terroir of Priorat, comprised of flaky shale.
Due to the nature of the land, with slopes ranging between 30 and 80%, it is difficult to make an accurate estimate of the area under cultivation in Porrera. However, we estimate that it is around 40 hectares. Annual production of 70,000 litres of wine, or less than 20 hectolitres per hectare, is exceptionally low and is the key to producing such concentrated and structured wines as Cims de Porrera and Vi de Vila de Porrera. In some vineyards, production barely reaches 250 grams of grape per foot.
The soil is of carboniferous shale – heavily eroded, grey schists that sparkle with an incomparable beauty in the midday sun. The low organic content of the soil, which is extremely loose and rocky, means that the water quickly filters from the surface. The vines are therefore forced to grow very deep roots in order to reach the water sources.
Over the past year we have many times written about the sibling Vi de Vila Porrera, a wine that embodies both the sun-drenched Mediterranean climate with aromas of low yield and old vines Carinena and Garnatxa from Priorat. This unique combination makes a wine close to 15% ABV still easily enjoyable. So if you like this, the Cims de Porrera Classic from centenarian Carinena grapes will up it not only a couple of notches in terms of elegance and complexity.
