Priorat Vintage Chart

Priorat is in an extended drought, with even old vines showing signs of distress. The southern villages – those facing the Ebro River – continued to suffer from lack of water while the northern villages – those facing the Montsant mountains – benefitted from late-Spring rains helping to temper one of the region’s hottest years of record. Due to these extreme conditions, the 2023 harvest was early and short with very low yields, but the lack of rain did result in small, concentrated, extremely healthy grapes. This accelerated ripening, however, created slightly vegetal tannins, but the concentration also helped to increase acidity. For all, moderate extraction was the norm in 2023.

A leading producer in the region described the 2022 vintage as “six months of summer” because it felt like July from May to October. Although bud break happened later in 2022, the heat was devastating to the vines, often depriving them of the cooling effects of night-time temperatures. Whilst old vines were particularly resilient; young plants needed irrigation. Cariñena and Garnacha proved how well they can adapt to severe drought. Like other areas, the lack of humidity translated into extremely healthy grapes. Surprisingly enough, old vines produced wines with good acidity and relatively low pH. So far 2022 appears to be an early drinking vintage.

Garnacha was the star of the 2021 growing season. Temperatures and water availability were in line with averages in the area and lead to a generous crop. However, rainfall in late August and September delayed the ripening process. Young vines were picked below the average sugar (the Regulatory Council even considered reducing required minimum alcoholic strength to accommodate). Cariñena, also a late-ripening variety, lacked the warmer conditions necessary to ripen fully. Old vines with lower yields performed better. This is a fresh vintage (heat summation is in line with 2014) with higher acidity and significantly lower alcohol.

Mediterranean regions experienced mildew in 2020, and Priorat, as well as numerous other Catalan DOs, reported major crop losses. Cariñena suffered the most. Winter and spring rainfall were well above average, but the summer was dry leading to one of the earliest harvests on record. 2020 was yet another “Garnacha year” with the best examples showing refined aromas, concentration, and fairly low pH. While many of the top vineyard sites produced outstanding wines, the outcome was irregular. The Regulatory Council rated 2020 “Excellent,” but perhaps this was overly optimistic.

Priorat experienced a terrifying heatwave in late June that literally burnt grapes and damaged many Cariñena vines. This, together with severe drought led to extremely low yields and high levels of concentration. All in all, it was an excellent year. A local producer summarized the season as “short, healthy, and quick” with the sorting table being used as “a mere conveyor belt”. The vintage was compared to 2013, particularly in regard to the slow ripening conditions experienced in late September and early October. With higher levels of alcohol than in 2018, the wines show amazing concentration and plenty of tension, providing the perfect conditions to age and develop over time. 2019 was rated “Excellent.”

Generous rainfall in autumn and spring provided plenty of water reserves, but additional humidity throughout a hot summer favored the appearance of mildew. The major challenge in 2018 was to coordinate picking times for the many grape varieties as there were various rainfall events during the harvest. Although average temperatures were relatively high and the wines show generous ripe fruit, the palate reflects a fresher character, with lively acidity adding nerve and length.

2017

In line with the rest of Spain, this was an early, hot vintage with heat totals well above 2015. Spring and summer were particularly hot leading to low yields and dehydration in the warmer southern areas. September started off windy and chilly which benefited sites at higher elevation. While international grape varieties struggled to cope with such extreme conditions, both Garnacha and Cariñena proved to be much more resilient. Red wines display generous ripe fruit, considerable concentration, and gentle tannins.

A rainy spring was followed by an extremely dry and warm summer. The peak of heat took place at the beginning of September. In young vineyards this sped up the ripening and led to an early harvest. In contrast, older vines stopped the process and managed to retain acidity. Higher elevation vineyards benefited from moderate rainfall at the beginning of October, so grapes ripened slowly and retained freshness. Small, extremely healthy berries led to good levels of concentration and fully ripe tannins. Considering the higher water availability than in the 2015 and 2017 vintages, the wines are fresher than expected.

This vintage marked a return to warm years. The mild winter ended abruptly in February when snow blanketed the region. Budding came slightly later and the spring was relatively dry with higher-than-average temperatures which resulted in conditions ideal for a perfect fruit set. The first heat spike occurred in May; it was followed by a scorching July. Despite the torrid summer, yields were generous, and the vines did not appear to suffer much stress, all thanks to cool temperatures and scattered rainfall in August. Given the range of conditions, grapes ripened perfectly. The wines have structure and depth with slightly lower acidity.

2014

Although warmer than the previous year, 2014 was a fresh vintage. Generous rain fell during winter and spring. Summer was dry and milder than average, but with less cooling effects during the evening due to high levels of humidity and the lack of drying winds. Rainfall during the harvest was not as problematic as in other Spanish regions, but there was still some botrytis. The warmest areas, early ripening vineyards, and most of the Garnacha was picked timely, but some Cariñena vines failed to reach optimal ripeness. The 2014s are lighter reds with good levels of acidity and lower alcohol.

Another warm, dry season with very low rainfall in many areas. Vines had to cope with accumulated drought and relatively extreme heat in summer that often led to cessation of the ripening process. This resulted in higher levels of acidity than those achieved in 2011. So, despite the challenging conditions and widespread low yields, the wines simultaneously show volume, freshness, and balance. Occasional rainfall in September and October alleviated late-ripening sites and/or grape varieties. Garnacha performed particularly well as flowering almost reached full fruit set.

This was a warm vintage with low rainfall and low yields. During the summer, the plants experienced considerable stress and struggled to develop their fruit yielding small, low-weight berries occasionally affected by dehydration. This resulted in concentrated, full-bodied reds, clearly bigger than those of 2010. At this point, many quality-conscious producers were leaving behind international grape varieties to continue their work with Garnacha and Cariñena. Cariñena (which copes particularly well with drought) performed the best in 2011.

This was a fresh vintage by Priorat standards. A lot of snow in winter provided generous water reserves. The season enjoyed slightly lower than average temperatures and higher rainfall than previous years. July and early August followed a warm pattern common in Priorat while the latest stages of ripening benefited from mild weather that helped to retain acidity. The wines were less powerful than the standard at the time but showed very good balance and ripe, fine tannins. Some of the best examples in the region are aging beautifully. The vintage was rated “Excellent”.