Elevation is important in these very warm and dry climates, not for the sake of it, but because it allows you to make wines with better delineation (some would even say an inkling of elegance), a little less explosiveness, and therefore a better chance to convey the terroir characteristics that are obliterated in the diffuse jamminess of other wines from the south.
The elevation, with the added effect of the very dry air, helps create quasi-Saharan day-night temperature differences of between 20 and 25C (this past night, from 37C to 15C in my part of Manchuela). Vines and grapes react by preserving acidity and aromas and developing polyphenols, while tannins begin their polymerization right in the grape, and the growing season is prolonged: alcoholic maturity does not jump the gun on phenolic maturity (or, at least, it doesn't jump it by a week, let's face it).
At sea level (Chteauneuf-du-Pape), only sea breezes help create the day-night difference, which right now is about 12C instead of the 20-25 level on the high Spanish plateau. Priorat is somewhere in between: only 20 miles from the Mediterranean, it's very hilly and uneven. In the south, Bellmunt del Priorat has an altitude of only 600 feet; in the north, La Morera del Montsant is at 2,300 feet. Vineyard location is crucial. But another important factor is the poor, deep soil of 'llicorella' (decomposed brown schist) on the hillsides, where roots routinely penetrate up to 50 feet, imparting a mineral character to the grapes and musts that is matched in few other places.
Further south where I am, all of our vineyards are between 2,500 and 3,600 feet high, and I think this is a crucial factor for us, together with the organically poor clay-limestone soils.
All over eastern Spain, there are growers who are into biodynamie, or 'natural wines', or simply wary of excesses in the cellar, who manage interesting wines that do reflect the terroir while not aping cool climate wines through such gimmicks as minimal maceration or heavy acidification.
Some of the producers I appreciate in this part of Spain include:
In Peneds, Can Rfols dels Caus.
In Priorat, Terroir al Lmit, Alvaro Palacios, Trio Infernal, Mas Alta, Clos i Terrasses (Clos Erasmus), Clos Mogador, Viedos de Ithaca, Sa del Coster, Celler de l'Encastell, Mas de les Pereres (Nunci).
In Montsant, Spectacle Vins (Espectacle), Celler de Capanes (Cabrida).
In Terra Alta, Vins Piol, Brbara Fors, Laureano Serres (his radical rejection of SO2 sometimes leads to the utter oxidation of his wines, but they have personality and he should be respected for being true to his ideas).
In Utiel-Requena, Mustiguillo.
In Manchuela, Ponce, Pago Alto Landn (Altolandn, L'me).
In Valencia, Rafael Cambra, Enguera, Celler del Roure, Bernab Navarro.
In Alicante, Heretat de Cesilia, Felipe Gutirrez de la Vega, Enrique Mendoza (Estrecho), Laderas de Pinoso (El Sequ), Primitivo Quiles.
In Jumilla, Casa Castillo (Pie Franco), Juan Gil.
In Yecla, Castao (the single-vineyard wines only; huge estate making a lot of supermarket wine...)
The elevation, with the added effect of the very dry air, helps create quasi-Saharan day-night temperature differences of between 20 and 25C (this past night, from 37C to 15C in my part of Manchuela). Vines and grapes react by preserving acidity and aromas and developing polyphenols, while tannins begin their polymerization right in the grape, and the growing season is prolonged: alcoholic maturity does not jump the gun on phenolic maturity (or, at least, it doesn't jump it by a week, let's face it).
At sea level (Chteauneuf-du-Pape), only sea breezes help create the day-night difference, which right now is about 12C instead of the 20-25 level on the high Spanish plateau. Priorat is somewhere in between: only 20 miles from the Mediterranean, it's very hilly and uneven. In the south, Bellmunt del Priorat has an altitude of only 600 feet; in the north, La Morera del Montsant is at 2,300 feet. Vineyard location is crucial. But another important factor is the poor, deep soil of 'llicorella' (decomposed brown schist) on the hillsides, where roots routinely penetrate up to 50 feet, imparting a mineral character to the grapes and musts that is matched in few other places.
Further south where I am, all of our vineyards are between 2,500 and 3,600 feet high, and I think this is a crucial factor for us, together with the organically poor clay-limestone soils.
All over eastern Spain, there are growers who are into biodynamie, or 'natural wines', or simply wary of excesses in the cellar, who manage interesting wines that do reflect the terroir while not aping cool climate wines through such gimmicks as minimal maceration or heavy acidification.
Some of the producers I appreciate in this part of Spain include:
In Peneds, Can Rfols dels Caus.
In Priorat, Terroir al Lmit, Alvaro Palacios, Trio Infernal, Mas Alta, Clos i Terrasses (Clos Erasmus), Clos Mogador, Viedos de Ithaca, Sa del Coster, Celler de l'Encastell, Mas de les Pereres (Nunci).
In Montsant, Spectacle Vins (Espectacle), Celler de Capanes (Cabrida).
In Terra Alta, Vins Piol, Brbara Fors, Laureano Serres (his radical rejection of SO2 sometimes leads to the utter oxidation of his wines, but they have personality and he should be respected for being true to his ideas).
In Utiel-Requena, Mustiguillo.
In Manchuela, Ponce, Pago Alto Landn (Altolandn, L'me).
In Valencia, Rafael Cambra, Enguera, Celler del Roure, Bernab Navarro.
In Alicante, Heretat de Cesilia, Felipe Gutirrez de la Vega, Enrique Mendoza (Estrecho), Laderas de Pinoso (El Sequ), Primitivo Quiles.
In Jumilla, Casa Castillo (Pie Franco), Juan Gil.
In Yecla, Castao (the single-vineyard wines only; huge estate making a lot of supermarket wine...)