Els Escurçons 2025

Els Escurcons is a red from D.O.Q. Priorat in Catalonia, made organically by Sara Perez at Mas Martinet from Garnacha. The estate has roots in the 1980s revival of Priorat, when Josep Lluis Perez and a small group of growers set out to remake the region, and Sara Perez now leads it. The vineyard sits on the licorella slate that defines Priorat, a fractured schist that drains hard and forces the roots deep, giving the wine its concentration and stony minerality. The altitude and cool nights extend ripening so the Garnacha reaches full maturity while holding freshness. Rather than standard barrels, the wine is aged for around twelve months in amphorae and glass demijohns. Clay amphorae allow a slow, gentle oxygen exchange that softens tannins without adding any wood flavour, while the glass demijohns let the wine develop with almost no oxygen, so the fruit and the slate stay clear and unmarked. The colour is deep cherry red. The nose shows ripe cherry, red berries and plum over crushed herbs, black pepper and a mineral, stony note. The palate is full bodied and fresh, with firm fine tannins and a long mineral finish. Serve at 17 degrees, decanting young bottles. It suits grilled red meats and game.