I am not good at tasting wines that I know; I recognise that labels influence me. As a result, I tasted all wines blind at the appellation headquarters: I only knew each wine’s vintage. Practically all the top producers sent samples but it’s worth noting that some of the most iconic wines were not tasted when compiling this report, L’Ermita included.

Before the tasting, I already knew Priorat to be the only appellation in Spain with a consistent high-quality baseline. The region is characterised by geographical definition, something exceptional within the Spanish wine world. Wines tend to represent the terroir of particularly small areas in a way that often draws comparisons with Burgundy.

Within the region, there are several small valleys that define exposures and three main types of soil, two of them called llicorella (pronounced lee-co-re-la) by the locals. The llicorella formed earliest is soft and fragile, while the second soil type is harder, breaking in blocks rather than in layers. The third type to know is clay, exclusive to the northern part of the appellation at Escaladei and giving characterful wines. While it is worth knowing these soil types (and I’ve been informed that a detailed soil map for the region will be released later this year), the most relevant conclusion for me is that all three can render exquisite wines when in the right hands.

Oak ageing is a common feature for most wines but nowadays, top producers tend to minimise its evidence, giving more ground to fruit expression and purer tannins. But Priorat needs oxidative ageing in order to release its potential.

Most of the region’s best wines are made with Garnacha, Cariñena or a blend of both. There are still relevant plantings of French varieties, a result of Spain’s lack of self-confidence in the 1980s, but they are being regrafted or replaced with the autochthonous stuff. The main white grape varieties are Garnacha Blanca and Macabeo (called Viura in Rioja). They represent less than 5% of total production.

Priorat’s red Garnacha wines are known for fruit and elegance, freshness and openness. They are not tannic and, unless heavily oaked, tend not to be very intense in colour. Having said that, the tasting revealed how their profile is nowadays quite diverse. I found wines that represent the utmost refinement for Garnacha, pale in colour with floral notes, lots of delicacy and in some instances, an apparent fragility close to sheer beauty. It’s the direction in which L’Ermita is developing and in this tasting it was witnessed in the wines of Terroir al Límit and Torres Mas de la Rosa, which are both excellent benchmarks for the style.

Other Garnacha wines from the region keep their exciting red-cherry aromatic profile but develop in a more powerful way; yet any oak ageing and concentration is balanced with good freshness. Vall Llach’s Mas de la Rosa is a great example (coming from the same vineyard as Torres wine), while Scala dei Masdeu provided the most refined example of top Garnacha from clay soils.

Meanwhile, Cariñena is practically on the other end of the spectrum. Its best wines are darker, more restrained, less aromatic but very finely textured, with unbelievably slow finishes. These are wines made for the long run. For the Priorat Report, Marco Abella put forward Roca Grisa, an amazing example of old-vineyard varietal Cariñena wine.

Many wines in this Report are blends of both varieties, sometimes with the addition of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot. As one would expect, the diversity is quite remarkable. Mas Martinet’s graceful and characterful blends could be seen as a benchmark for the use of international varieties; Ferrer Bobet offers an amazingly complex example of the region’s classic Garnacha/Cariñena blend; while Clos Mogador acts as living testimony to the original style that put Priorat at the top.

I would say that the most relevant trait common to the best Priorat wines is the respect of place. Producers are trying their best to express origin by picking earlier, extracting less and taming the oak influence. Besides, environmental conscience and increasing self-confidence are a common feature in the region. I believe that the ever-increasing aromatic precision and finesse witnessed in the wines of Priorat are the result of this approach and the deeper understanding of viticulture that comes with it.

Concerning those icon wines that I did not taste, my recommendation is this: if you have the money to buy them based on what they are doing, do it. The higher price includes not only the possibility of higher quality (albeit marginal) but also exclusivity, prestige and a host of other things that have nothing to do with this taster.

On the whole, I enjoyed compiling the Priorat Wine Report, tasting many great wines that gave me lots of things to think about – but I also enjoyed the feeling of providing testimony for a wine region that, being already at the top, is improving and learning each year. If you choose to enjoy Priorat as an appellation and explore its many identities, your soul, your mind and your friends will thank you.