Clos Abella Priorat and Liz’s Catalan lamb barbecue

The highest elevation plantings of Garnacha and Cariñena in Bodegas Marco Abella


In recent years, the red wines of Priorat DOQ, from the mountains of Spain’s Catalonia, have become the El Toro, the Cyclone, The Incredible Hulk, the Aerosmith Rockin’ Roller Coaster of wines for vinous thrill seekers: heady, exhilarating, palate and mind blowing packages, black as the Egyptian night, that make you want to get out the kitchen and rattle those pots and tastevins.

The 2004 Clos Abella Priorat Porrera (about $70), by Bodegas Marco Abella, is by no means a peak of perfection: there are blemishes, such as bludgeoningly high alcohol (fine with me, as it were), and a balsamic-like volatility that, depending on your point of view, is either like a distracting mole or a seductive, throttling beauty mark, just sweetening the pot of luscious berry, sticky licorice, gunflint black tea and tarry, stony notes in the concentrated aromas and flavors.  


Slate (llicorella) soil in Marco Abella's Priorat estate


Think of flawed dark haired beauties of the past, present or of imaginations: Cleopatra, Scarlet O’Hara, Ann Hathaway... or as The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde shouts in Tattooed Lover Boys, "Changing tires... upstairs, bro!" That’s a Priorat for you – annoyingly thick, yet compelling.

The red wines of Priorat are also, if anything, total products of terroir: Dry farmed on either spectacular terraces or harrowingly steep slopes, 700 to 2,200 ft. high, in all the chunky, decomposed, red and black slate in the world. More than anything, it’s this unforgiving terrain, and its ridiculously low yields, that characterize Clos Abella’s Porrera: a blend of three organic and biodynamically tilled parcels planted mostly to Garnatxa (Garnacha) and Carinyena (Carignan) – grapes that normally give a black cherry/strawberry-like fruitiness, but coming off the slopes of Priorat, ending up with more briary, syrupy, red and black berry infused concentrations, tannins bulging like muscles, backed by sun “roasted” schistous, minerally qualities.


Carignan in Bodegas Marco Abella


If you are a vegetarian, it’s not as if Priorat is totally not for you. Charcoal grilled portabellos, Chinese broccoli, eggplant and green onions should give you plenty of robust, smoky flavors to mingle with a stony muscled Priorat. But you’re in better luck if you have a penchant for smoky grilled meats, because Priorat tannins do like some fat to chew on, and caramelized flavors seem to bring the wine’s fruit concentration to even sweeter heights.  

For an effortless food match, I’d borrow a recipe from Liz’s Bokisch Vineyards online cookbook for Catalan BBQ with Pili’s allioli. Liz, of course, recommends her Bokisch Tempranillo, but I find that lamb marinated in olive oil, garlic and rosemary also has a special affinity for the wild, earthy flavor of a good Priorat. 




Thank you for this, Liz:

Rack of lamb
Garlic
Sea salt
Fresh rosemary
Olive oil
Assorted vegetables (eggplant, zucchini, scallions and potatoes)

For allioli:

3-6 cloves garlic
1 cup olive oil
2 eggs
¼ tsp. sea salt

Marinated lamb with pressed garlic, sea salt, chopped rosemary and olive oil. Slice begetables and lightly coat with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Begin allioli by pressing garlic into a bowl. Add salt and mash into a paste with mortar and pestle. Put one egg plus one yolk into food processor, and add the garlic/salt paste. While processor is on, very slowly drizzle the olive oil into the mixture until it starts to thicken; continue until all the oil is added. Consistency should end up like homemade mayonnaise; can be refrigerated for up to 1 day.

Then you’re ready to grill (preferably with open flame) lamb and vegetables; serve with garnish of fresh rosemary sprigs.


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