10 editor-picked estates growing Merlot in Priorat.
Where to taste Merlot in Priorat: the estates that grow it, how the region expresses the grape, and how to book a visit.
Founded in 1989 by Carles Pastrana as one of the five original Priorat pioneers. Winemaker Mariona Jarque leads production. Their fixed-coupage approach uses consistent vineyard parcels and blend percentages each vintage.
Tasting: Guided visits by arrangement; contact visits@obac.es.
Signature wines: clos-de-lobac, miserere, kyrie
Founded by Josep Lluis Perez in 1981 and now led by his daughter Sara Perez, Mas Martinet is one of the five founding estates of modern Priorat. The estate produces ecologically farmed wines from steep llicorella slate plots.
Tasting: Unique tasting experiences in the vineyard by appointment.
Signature wines: clos-martinet, martinet-bru, cami-pesseroles
Founded in the early 1990s by singer Lluis Llach and his partner Enric Costa in Porrera. Mas de la Rosa holds Gran Vinya Classificada status, the highest tier in DOQ Priorat. The estate is known for Cariñena-dominant blends.
Tasting: Guided visits by appointment at the Porrera cellar.
Signature wines: mas-de-la-rosa, idus-de-vall-llach, embruix-de-vall-llach
A five-generation family winery in the northern DOQ Priorat, where the Pasanau brothers established the modern estate in 1995. High-altitude plots from 540 to 740 metres elevation with organic farming.
Tasting: Enoturisme experiences available; book through the estate.
Signature wines: finca-la-planeta, la-morera-de-montsant, ceps-nous
Founded in 1996 by the Buil and Gine families, with roots six generations deep in Priorat. The first bodega in the region purposely built for wine tourism, featuring a hotel and restaurant Amics on the estate.
Tasting: First winery in Priorat built for tourism; wine experiences, 4-star hotel and restaurant Amics on site.
Signature wines: gine-gine, joan-gine, pleret
Carles Pastrana's Gratallops estate, one of the 1989 founding five; tours take in the Obac terraces, the barrel cellar and a tasting of Miserere and Clos de l'Obac.
Founded by musician Lluis Llach and Enric Costa, this Porrera cellar champions old-vine Carinena; visits include the village cellar and a tasting of Embruix and Val Llach.
Cesar Martinell-designed 1919 cooperative in Falset producing the Etim range; its modernist wine-cathedral architecture is as compelling as the Garnacha inside.
Camins del Priorat is the entry tier from Alvaro Palacios, blending Garnacha and Carinena sourced from eight municipalities across the DOQ. Fruit-forward and accessible, it represents the accessible face of the estate without sacrificing the minerality of the licorella soils.
Tip: Widely distributed in export markets. A multi-varietal blend of Garnacha, Carinena, and small parcels of Syrah and Merlot.
Embruix (meaning 'bewitching' in Catalan) is the entry wine from Vall Llach, blending multiple varieties from younger estate vines in Porrera.
Tip: Embruix provides an entry point to Vall Llach's Porrera terroir at a fraction of the price of their village and single-parcel bottlings.