Call it Carignan, call it Mazuelo, call it Samsó – no matter which guise Carinyena takes, it’s often dismissed as a blending grape, only included to add colour and structure. But at Perinet in Priorat, winemaker Toni Sanchez-Ortiz is treating Carinyena as a star.
Having worked in Australia, California and New Zealand, Sanchez-Ortiz returned home familiar with the most modern winemaking techniques and technology. He combined these with his deep understanding of climate change’s effects on Priorat’s grapes, which formed the basis for his doctoral thesis. It is this wealth of skill and knowledge that has gone into the 2018 Vinya Pendents Carinyena, a single-vineyard wine awarded 97 points and a Platinum medal at DWWA 2024.
The Vinya Pendents Carinyena, which is being released in limited quantities – through selected stockists and Perinet’s Wine Club – hails from the maritime influenced mesoclimates of Porrera. Its pronounced violet and earthy aromas capture something of Priorat’s famous llicorella soils, while its chalky and salty notes speak of its location, just 20 kilometres from the Mediterranean sea.
Perinet’s winemaker Toni Sanchez-Ortiz is gaining acclaim for combining traditional varieties with modern techniques.
Shining a spotlight on each individual vineyard
A focus on Priorat’s meso- and microclimates is a thread that runs through all Perinet’s wines. The 2017 Perinet draws together local varieties Garnacha and Carinyena with international favourites Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, all grown in the Mas del Xes vineyard, which surrounds the winery itself.
Receiving 90 points and a Silver medal at this year’s DWWA, the 2017 Perinet was fermented in stainless steel and then aged for 15 months in French oak. The result is a complex mix of ripe red fruit, plum, cherry and earthy notes on the nose, leading into layered black truffle, tobacco and bursts of tart raspberry on the palate.
Each of Perinet’s vineyards has its own personality, shaped by climate, aspect and altitude. While Pendents is cooled by sea breezes and Bevissos is dominated by the dry winds of the valley of the Ebro river, Mas Vell and Mas del Xes share higher hillsides and dramatic diurnal temperature changes, with hot days producing ripe fruit flavours and cool nights retaining freshness.
Ranci, a non-vintage wine is made in a solera system of chestnut and oak barrels dating back to the 19th century.
Reaching back into Priorat’s rich history
Carthusian monks brought winemaking to Priorat in the 12th century, laying the foundations for a winemaking history to rival the region’s ancient slate hills. Although Sanchez-Ortiz has a sharp focus on the future and how Priorat’s vineyards must adapt to climate change, he remains a staunch guardian of the region’s heritage.
That history is captured in Ranci, a non-vintage wine made in a solera system of chestnut and oak barrels dating back to the 19th century. For this wine, white Garnacha grapes are left to ripen longer on the vine before being dried for a month and fermented with naturally occurring yeasts.
Each vintage’s wine is added to the solera, mingling with century-old lees. Just 300 bottles of this nutty, honeyed, citrus-hinted rarity are filled each year, with the latest release receiving 95 points and a Gold medal at DWWA 2024 – completing an astounding triple crown of honours for Perinet’s wines.
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