# Clos Salanca A Priori (2018)

- **Producer:** Clos Salanca (Franck Massard)
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Cariñena
- **Region:** Catalonia, Spain
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 15.1%
- **Average price:** €140
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 16–18 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** cherry, blackberry, plum, blackcurrant, black pepper, herbaceous, mint, vanilla, cedar, smoke, toast, leather, tobacco, forest floor, mushroom

## About this wine

Clos Salanca is a highly limited project in the northern, cooler sector of Priorat near Poboleda. Founded in 2018, it is a partnership between David Forer MW and acclaimed sommelier Franck Massard. Drawn to the steep, hauntingly beautiful slate slopes of the region, they established a 10-hectare micro-estate to honor ancient viticultural traditions. The 'A Priori' cuvée is their flagship 100% Carignan, sourced from the estate's top 'Salanques' plot, featuring extremely old, hand-worked bush vines planted on steep, unterraced hillsides.

## Interesting facts

- The 2018 vintage represents the very first commercial release from the Clos Salanca estate.
- The wine is sourced from extremely old vines, some of which were discovered to be planted circa 1915.
- Only 1,216 bottles and 12 magnums of this rare 100% Carignan were produced for the entire 2018 vintage.
- The estate is farmed organically and is transitioning to regenerative agriculture to foster local biodiversity.

## Food pairing

The high structural acidity, intense slate minerality, and robust tannins of this old-vine Carignan require rich, savory dishes with high protein and fat content to soften the structure. Gamey meats, earthy mushrooms, and mature cheeses complement the wine's complex, brooding profile perfectly.

## Wine making process

The grapes are manually harvested and sorted by bunch, destemmed, and lightly crushed. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks at 30°C. The free-run juice is racked into used French oak barrels (previously used for two vintages), utilizing a mix of 228-liter and 300-liter barrels to encourage micro-oxygenation and prevent reduction. The wine is aged for 12 months in barrel before a light filtration and bottling in lightweight Burgundy-shaped bottles.