2014 Clos Pissarra El Mont Priorat 750 ml

It isn’t every day that we get a call from someone we admire as much as Emmanuel Kemiji.

Emmanuel is a Master Sommelier and the founder of Priorat’s Clos Pissarra. We’ve always loved his tiny-production old-vine wines—which are made in truly minuscule quantities—so we were thrilled when he offered us the first crack at his single-vineyard 2014 El Mont Priorat.

Priorat, one of just two regions to carry Spain’s highest designation, is known for the rich wines that come off its steep, low-yielding vineyards—and this is everything you want a Priorat to be. Showing a little ruby-brick color, it’s awash in aromas of black and blue fruit, herbs, licorice, and sweet pipe tobacco. It’s full and fleshy on the palate, with a pronounced dusty-rock mineral component that flows through to the long finish.

Emmanuel held this incredible wine back for NINE years before releasing it! Why so long? Clos Pissarra is a passion project, not a profit project. In fact, Emmanuel works at such a high level that he is very selective about who receives an allocation of El Mont, saving it for people he knows are going to be equally passionate and thoughtful about offering it.

Emmanuel calls El Mont “the most dramatic vineyard” he owns in Priorat. The plot, which sits on volcanic rock and clay rather than the slate soils that Priorat is famous for, gives just three-quarters of a ton of fruit per acre, producing what he says is “one of the most profound wines we make.” 

This wine is a tour de force, born of decades of immense dedication and knowledge. Only 157 cases were made.