Mas de la Rosa, Vinyes Velles 2016 [DOQ Priorat]
“It is one of the most charming places in Priorat, a sheltered, secluded vineyard that opens up to visitors like an amphitheater. This is undoubtedly our greatest gem, a vineyard that has everything it takes to see the birth of a great wine.” – Miguel Torres Maczassek
In one of the most secluded corners of Priorat, with Porrera visible in the distance, an impressively old vineyard of 80-year-old vines harbors the past, the present, and eternity. It is small, like most things that matter. This venerable old place comprises just 1.9 hectares at an elevation of 500 meters, planted with Garnacha and Cariñena, Priorat's varietal union par excellence.
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Mas de la Rosa (DOQ Priorat). “One of the most beautiful, hidden corners of Priorat.” – Miguel T. Maczassek
The vines grow on hillsides, with outcrops of foliated llicorella surfacing from the sloping ground. A maze of dark schist that forces the roots to dig deep in search of water and nutrients, as well as making manual vineyard work an absolute necessity.
In Crónica de Porrera 1865, Josep Simó i Serres describes the place as “a good farmhouse located three-quarters of an hour from what is now the village.” The author also reveals the mystery surrounding the origins of the name Mas de la Rosa. According to the author, the farm’s owner in the mid-18th century had a wife called Rosa who went mad and “burned the house to the ground.”
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Mas de la Rosa Vinyes Velles 2016: The Wine
Mas de la Rosa springs from a search for the unique identity of the small eponymous vineyard. The result is Familia Torres's most heroic wine. “We observed the enormous potential of this vineyard for years, because we used to buy the grapes for our wine Perpetual. We would vinify the lots separately, and this one always stood out, which is why, in 2016, we decided to make a wine exclusively from this vineyard,” Miguel Torres explains.
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Mas de la Rosa 2016. Born from a winery-owned, single vineyard of 80-year-old Cariñena and Garnacha vines.
This is clearly an exceptional wine, the pure expression of a tiny piece of heaven on earth. Mas de la Rosa displays exquisite finesse and a fresh style, which benefits from the vineyard’s location in a cool, east-facing area. “The row orientation allows for long, well-paced fruit maturation,” remarks winemaker, Jordi Foraster, “In the summer, the vineyard lies in the shade from the early afternoon on, thus protecting the clusters from direct sun exposure.”
Mas de la Rosa Vinyes Velles 2016 is a very limited-production wine of only 2,059 bottles, which will be allocated to the finest high-end restaurants in 15 countries.
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International critics received Mas de la Rosa Vinyes Velles 2016 enthusiastically and with high praise, including 94+ Parker points and 94 points from the British wine magazine, Decanter.
But what brings us even greater satisfaction, as a family and a winery, is the chance to preserve and care for something far more valuable and irreplaceable. A piece of land steeped in culture, and the pure expression thereof. In other words, life.