2 Torroja del Priorat

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2 2 Torroja del Priorat

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4 Terroir Històric 4 The Cooperative The establishment of cooperatives or syndicates was one of the strategies developed by farmers to face up to the ecological crisis brought about by the phylloxera plague and the economic crisis of the beginning of the twentieth century. The ideologists of the time maintained that it was necessary to join forces to reduce production costs, to increase the quantity and quality of crops, to have sufficient capital to be able to age the wine, to introduce new technology to the wineries, and to improve marketing. In short, they sought a new organisation to end the precarious practices of production in private homes and to introduce modern winemaking and marketing systems. The syndicates allowed the owners and tenant farmers of small- and medium-sized vineyards to produce and sell the wine, thus freeing them from their previous dependency on the bourgeoisie. In 1918, the Sindicato Agrícola Vinícola was set up in Torroja del Priorat to produce and sell wine and other agricultural products. The present-day building dates from 1934 and was constructed by thirty-three members of the syndicate who worked on it in their free time. There are no more than 35 or 40 vine growers who put in the effort. No more than five or six thousand loads of the grape harvest will enter into that cooperative winery. It is no other desire, nor other drive, nor other concern that brings these modest vine growers of the town of Torroja to undertake this noble task of the winery. As everywhere, the most modest vine growers. Salvador Estrem i Fa Periòdic Priorat, 1934 Priorat Històric At the beginning of the 12th century, Carthusian monks from France settled in the idyllic spot of Escaladei and built the monastery we now know as the Carthusian Monastery of Escaladei. The monks were the first to introduce viticulture to Priorat county. The monastery s domains took in nine towns and villages that paid a tithe to the Prior. They were Bellmunt del Priorat, Gratallops, El Lloar, Escaladei, Poboleda, Porrera, Torroja del Priorat, La Vilella Alta and La Vilella Baixa. Today these towns are known locally as Historic Priorat and they make up the DOQ Priorat region.

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6 Terroir Històric 6 The Project Terroir Històric came about to support the wines of Terroir al Límit. Its strong ecological and social commitment is a way of expressing gratitude for everything the Priorat and Torroja del Priorat have contributed to the already consolidated Terroir al Límit project. The Priorat stands out for the great natural beauty of its wild landscape; it is an excellently preserved, pure and authentic Mediterranean wine producing region. We believe that future generations should be able to benefit from the same natural and cultural wealth we enjoy today. That is why our project is based on three fundamental pillars: The Culture Of The Territory The project is located in a historical building in the village of Torroja del Priorat. The Cooperative building, which is currently being restored, represents a connection with those viticulturists of past generations who, perhaps without knowing it, already practised ecology, sustainability and the fostering of culture in small rural nuclei such as Torroja del Priorat and so many others in the county: Bellmunt del Priorat, Gratallops, El Lloar, Escaladei, Poboleda, Porrera, La Vilella Alta and La Vilella Baixa. The rehabilitation of the winemaking section of the building, and its reactivation to vinify Terroir Històric after so many decades of disuse, is our small way of paying homage to all of them. Ecological Viticulture Of prime importance is close cooperation with viticulturists who are committed to sustainability and the ecology, both in the locality and in the rest of the county. In this way, centenarian Priorat vines and new plantations are farmed sustainably and in complete harmony with nature. Traditional Production The project only accepts the traditional varieties of the Priorat: Grenache and Cariñena for Terroir Històric Red, and White Grenache and Macabeo for the Terroir Històric White. Cement was the material par excellence of the vats and wine presses in the cooperatives and for that reason we use tanks made of that material with capacities of between 3500 and 5000 litres. In terms of production techniques, our philosophy is to interfere as little as possible throughout the process. In this way we hope to obtain a completely authentic and honest wine, with the grape as the main protagonist. The project pays homage to and returns to the origins of the viticulture and oenology of the Priorat.

Terroir Històric 7 THE PROJECT BEGINS CARLOS Aged 39, born in Torroja, viticulturist. Carlos represents the new generation of viticulturists committed to the foundations of the project.

JAUME Aged 65, born in El Lloar, viticulturist. He represents the experience and knowledge of traditional viticulture, the local culture and the territory.

He is the driving force behind the project. I see myself as an artisan. I have always seen it as a challenge to interlink intellectuality, sensitivity and practical work.

7 Terroir Històric 7 THE PROJECT BEGINS CARLOS Aged 39, born in Torroja, viticulturist. Carlos represents the new generation of viticulturists committed to the foundations of the project. He is currently the owner of his family s vineyards and has held an ecological certification for the past four years. His family has been a member of the cooperative since it was founded. JAUME Aged 65, born in El Lloar, viticulturist. He represents the experience and knowledge of traditional viticulture, the local culture and the territory. His knowledge and sensitivity make a great personal and professional contribution to the project. DOMINIK Aged 44, born in Munich, viticulturist and businessman. He is the driving force behind the project. I see myself as an artisan. I have always seen it as a challenge to interlink intellectuality, sensitivity and practical work. Torroja del Priorat, my second homeland, has become the centre of my life and has stolen my heart. I feel that here it is possible to live in the traditional Mediterranean way, with a healthy coexistence between body and spirit. I believe I can offer this philosophy to the world with my wines.

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Notas De Cata 9 Terroir Històric Red 2015 The first handshake, the first smile When you arrive at a monastery that observes the laws of hospitality, the first handshake and the first smile are from

9 Notas De Cata 9 Terroir Històric Red 2015 The first handshake, the first smile When you arrive at a monastery that observes the laws of hospitality, the first handshake and the first smile are from of the brother doorkeeper. He is the guardian of the monastery; he holds the keys to the house and he decides who enters and who leaves and who is welcomed. This wine is like that. It is friendly, very much of its vintage, cheerful and affable, easy to swallow and delectable, it offers the first smile and the first handshake when one arrives (symbolically) at the Priorat and its wines. This land has different privileged zones for the Grenache and the Cariñena. Terroir Històric Red 2015 is a compendium of them all. The traveller will know when he drinks it and feels it inside, that this territory protected by the sacred Montsant Mountain will offer him unique experiences. In relation to the wine, the landscape, the silence and the rejuvenating stay, and also the reencounter with himself. It is the shade of the cloister on a warm summer s evening, the fountain that receives you with welcoming water: this wine flows down the throat like the water from the well. The shade of the cypress trees lengthens in the cloister: the heather and its aromas impregnate this wine, and also the airs and joy of the horses that intuit the coming rest. Myrtle and ripe cherries welcome the traveller. This wine will quench your thirst and will joyfully accompany a table of simple food, very much of the land: a succulent omelette, grilled sausage and pig trotters. Country bread and sheep cheese. With a smile on your lips. Vineyards Location: The 9 villages of Priorat Històric - Bellmunt, Gratallops, El Lloar, Escaladei, Poboleda, Porrera, Torroja, Vilella Alta, Vilella Baixa. Altitude: Between 350 and 800 metres Varieties: 75% Red Grenache 25 % Cariñena Soils: Slate, Clay, Granite, Alluvial. Vinification The harvest is completely manual and we use boxes holding a maximum of 12 kilos to respect the grape to the utmost. We use the technique common in the Priorat prior to the industrialisation of the winemaking companies. The grapes are placed whole in cement tanks and gently trodden. Then we close the vat and wait for the yeasts of the vineyard to do their work. We interfere as little as possible; there is no pigeage or remontage, meaning that we can speak of the infusion of the grape. This gives a transparent, smooth and easy-to-drink wine. We use the press, which is horizontal and pneumatic, at low pressure to allow the wine to express all the fruit from its interior, thus making it a totally gastronomic wine. Ageing Cement was the only possible choice for the philosophy of the project. Terroir Històric Red reposes for 6 months in cement vats. The end result is a new interpretation of the Priorat terroir without the loss of its roots.

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11 Notas De Cata 11 Terroir Històric White 2015 A dry-stone hut in August On the long, dry days of August, just before the grape harvest, the dry-stone huts in the fields become refuges of coolness and intense flavours. Terroir Històric White 2015 is like one of those huts: the wine has the colour and intensity of the heat of the Priorat, but also the coolness of its evenings: the wind, the garbinada, begins to blow in from the sea, and things seem change. The wine has the colour of the sun when the August night comes: ripe grape skins, repose, oxidised llicorella. The sun is in the bottle, the freshness in the glass. The sensation is powerful: from the inside, warding off the heat, thanks to the centuries-old dry-stone walls, you see how Venus takes over the sky and you feel how August has reposed in vineyards streaked with cereals. You open the bottle and the space fills with beeswax, heather honey, ripe quince, thyme and undergrowth. A bunch of dry chamomile hangs on the wall and a small fire illuminates the corner: toasted country bread, spread with garlic and a good dose of Arbequina olive oil. August heat and parched land outside. Cool and shade inside. That is this wine: it has the spirit of the song of the cicada arising from the intense yellow of the wheat among the vines. The night and the dry-stone walls offer you refuge, austere, but refuge. It is a wine of country folk, of serious, rustic tannins, that tastes and smells of the things of yesteryear. Tinder and flint, spark and hearth, warmth and repose, freshness and pleasure, with not too much reflection. Immediacy and sensations skin deep in the Priorat. Vineyards Location: The 9 villages of Priorat Històric - Bellmunt, Gratallops, El Lloar, Escaladei, Poboleda, Porrera, Torroja, Vilella Alta, Vilella Baixa. Altitude: Between 350 and 800 metres Varieties: 75% Red Grenache 25 % Cariñena Soils: Slate, Clay, Granite, Alluvial. Vinification The harvest is completely manual and we use boxes holding a maximum of 12 kilos to respect the grape to the utmost. We use the technique common in the Priorat prior to the industrialisation of the winemaking companies. The grapes are placed whole in cement tanks and gently trodden. Then we close the vat and wait for the yeasts of the vineyard to do their work. We interfere as little as possible and there is no pigeage or remontage. With this unusual maceration, we achieve a white wine that in former times was called brisat; it has some oxidative notes, but is easy to drink. We use the press, which is horizontal and pneumatic, at low pressure to allow the wine to express all the fruit from its interior, thus making it a totally gastronomic wine. Ageing Cement was the only possible choice for the philosophy of the project. Terroir Històric White reposes for 6 months in cement vats. The end result is a new interpretation of the Priorat terroir without the loss of its roots.

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HUBER +34 699 732 707 dominik@terroir-historic.

13 13 TERROIR HISTÒRIC c. Baixa Font, 10 E Torroja del Priorat Tarragona - Spain Dominik A. HUBER dominik@terroir-historic.com For more information get in touch with me at dominik@terroir-al-limit.com Copyright 2015 Terroir al Límit. La reproducción sin un permiso escrito está completamente prohibida.

Terroir al Límit. Reviewed by Luis Gutiérrez The Wine Advocat

Terroir al Límit. Reviewed by Luis Gutiérrez The Wine Advocat Terroir al Límit The Wine Advocat 2016 Torroja Vi de Vila Rating 93 Drink Date 2018-2024 The 2016 Torroja Vi de Vila is the village wine that is bottled earlier than the others. The oak is neatly folded