Pedrabona Priorat – 2022

94 Points

The village red from Gratallops, the 2022 Pedrabona is a 50/50 blend of Garnacha and Cariñena and is surprisingly floral and elegant, with moderate alcohol (the minimum 13.5% required by the appellation). It was produced with grapes from four vineyards in the village—Manyetes, Planassos, Vinyals and Aubada—that were hand-harvested and fermented with indigenous yeasts in troncoconic Stockinger foudres and some open-top barrels. The best Garnacha matured in 870-liter foudre and the rest in French oak barrels for nine months. It has a light and elegant profile, transcending the character of the year, with balance and very good integration of the varieties and the components, coming through as seamless and pure. 8,230 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2023.

The wines from Josep Grau Viticultor, who works in Montsant (mostly) and a little in Priorat, seem to be getting better and better. This is a name that usually flies under the radar and deserves more recognition. In 2020, he purchased a vineyard in Capçanes, El Pas de l’Estudian, from which he now produces a new wine under that name. He now has 14.5 hectares of vines in the village of Capçanes and 18 in Marçá in Montsant and 10.5 hectares in Gratallops in Priorat.

I tasted wines from 2021 and 2022, two very different vintages. 2021 was marked by the January snowstorm that brought up to 80 centimeters of snow in some places and plenty of rain through the season, which was cooler than usual. He talks about “delicate, ethereal reds with good structure and depth.” As for 2022, it was extremely dry with successive heat waves and was saved by 48 liters of rain on July 6th. The wines are more fragrant, but he tries to keep the line of the 2021s.

92 Points

A blend of Garnacha and Carinyena, from 80 year old vines around Gratallops. A lighter fresher style of Priorat yet still packed with fruit. Gently reductive and quite tense, with a citric, orange peel character to lighten the dark brambly fruits. 2022 – 2030

93 Points

A pure, transparent Priorat that’s ripe but fresh, nimble and bright, with berries and red cherries throughout. Medium-bodied, fresh and firm, with juicy berry fruit and a tight, expressive finish. Delicious now, but will hold well in the next few years.

94 Points

The 2022 Pedrabona is a 50-50 blend of Garnatxa and Cariñena from a vineyard planted in 1910 in Gratallops, Priorat. Aged in foudres, this light garnet wine offers a ripe, red-fruited core, along notes of undergrowth, graphite, and a faintly reductive, blood-like character. Dry, lean and full of energy, the compact palate lingers with a taut and refreshing flow, embodying the essence of both sun and ripeness, yet possessing a cool, vibrant character. This is a beautiful combination of place and style. 2025 – 2040

A long-time wine lover, Josep Grau made a small fortune in finance before turning to his passion. He started in Priorat in 1993, purchasing a vineyard in Capçanes, Montsant in 2003 and setting up his winery there a couple of years later. In 2016, he returned to Priorat with the purchase of a farmhouse in Gratallops. Grau has produced wines in diverse styles over the years. Today, he crafts finely tuned reds made with Garnatxa and Cariñena, delivering plenty of flavor without stylistic exaggeration and exploring the more delicate side of these varieties.