THE VINEYARD'S TANGIBLE HERITAGE (III)

Once the fiefdom of ancient nobility, Mas La Plana watches over the birth and evolution of its celebrated eponymous Cabernet. Two legacies converge on the estate, and their interrelationship draws connections between history and experience, present and future.

Amid its twenty-nine-hectare vineyards, visitors are captivated by history as soon as their eyes travel the wide horizon, the mountain of Montserrat a striking silhouette against the sky. The estate’s history can be traced back to Roman settlements but takes on particular prominence during the Middle Ages.

Many of the country houses around the property stand on the remains of villae rusticae, once home to ancient Roman settlers.

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Mas La Plana, El Penedès

The estate has a fortuitous location, halfway between the mountain and the sea, that is perfect for winegrowing. It has always been this way. During the Middle Ages, the locally produced red wine was particularly popular at the court and with the region's nobility, especially the Counts of Barcelona. They turned the estate and the surrounding lands into their personal hunting and leisure grounds.

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Entrance to the Mas La Plana estate, El Penedès

Rumor has it that the peasant farmers of Mas La Plana never had to pay taxes to the area's feudal lord or the church. They paid their fees directly to the king in the form of fowl to feed the royal falcons, loaves of bread for the hunting dogs, and young wine.

In return, the owners of the estate could not sell their aged wines until the king had drunk his share of the vintage in question.

The estate's wines achieved such prestige that the owners were granted permission to repair their barrels and harvesting equipment in the royal forges and cooperages.

It seems as though careful winemaking and a search for the highest quality have always been a constant. This continued with the arrival of Familia Torres at the estate, going back to the family's first and notorious Cabernet vintage in 1970.

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Issue of the prestigious trade magazine Gault Millau (Wine Olympics, 1979)

The enclave has witnessed the invention and development of the most revolutionary viticultural arts and practices of the 21st century: ecological awareness, limited editions, proper selection, along with the in-depth study and division of parcels that define the different terroirs on the estate.

Nowadays, Mas La Plana builds its prestige on the intangible nature of history and the tangible nature of the vine. This duality not only drives vinicultural development but also structures a social fabric defined by great curiosity and care for its environment. This is a place to experience wine, which has a clear identity and is open to the world, where wine tourism and a love for the land provide the gateway to explore the region through the eyes of a wine lover.