Casa Gran del Siurana: Discovering the essence of Priorat

Farmhouse and vineyards at Casa Gran del Siurana winery in Priorat, Spain — (Image credit: Credit Unknown)

For 300 years the farmhouse of La Casa Gran has stood on the bank of the Siurana river outside Bellmunt del Priorat. This iconic structure was once the home of the Carthusian monks of the Scala Dei monastery – the historic birthplace of vines and winemaking in Priorat in the 12th century. Since the year 2000, this farmhouse has been the home of Casa Gran del Siurana, an ambitious winery project dedicated to crafting benchmark-setting wines from Priorat’s steep, terraced slopes and signature llicorella slate soils.

Winemaker Anna Gallis&agrave; and head viticulturist Jordi Alentorn at Casa Gran del Siurana winery in Priorat, Spain — Winemaker Anna Gallisà and head viticulturist Jordi Alentorn

An artisanal approach to winemaking

Led by winemaker Anna Gallisà and head viticulturist Jordi Alentorn, Casa Gran del Siurana adopts an artisanal approach to produce wines which reveal the essence of this unique terroir, where Mediterranean warmth, mountain freshness and slate-driven minerality converge.

This artisanal way of making wine is exemplified in Casa Gran del Siurana’s flagship bottlings: Cruor and Gran Cruor Syrah. For these wines, carefully selected vine stocks of Priorat’s signature grape varieties – Grenache, Carignan, Syrah – are cultivated by hand, following the wisdom of the Carthusian monks of old, within the winery’s Finca La Fredat vineyard.

Winemaker Anna Gallis&agrave; at Casa Gran del Siurana winery in Priorat, Spain — Winemaker Anna Gallisà leads the team, crafting benchmark-setting wines from Priorat’s steep, terraced slopes

A hands-on approach is also seen in the cellar, where Reus-born winemaker Anna Gallisà’s deep respect for the region’s terroir and nuances of each grape variety find expression. Anna works not just as a winemaker but as an artist: exacting fruit selection, vinification in a combination of stainless steel tanks, French oak barrels and concrete eggs, and meticulous barrel selection offer the winemaker the broadest possible ‘colour palette’ from which to achieve her desired creation.

Grape maceration at Casa Gran del Siurana winery in Priorat, Spain

Elegant reds that speak of terroir

Casa Gran del Siurana Cruor harmoniously combines Grenache, Carignan and Syrah from cool and warm sites, with patient maturation for 14 to 16 months in French oak barrels creating a classic representation of the wine’s origin. Gran Cruor Syrah, meanwhile, represents the pinnacle of the winery’s output: a rigorous selection of the best Syrah grapes, with extended maceration and maturation for 18 months in new French oak barrels creating a varietal wine of unrivalled structure, power and elegance.

The wines of Casa Gran del Siurana bring together the wisdom of the original cultivators of this land, the dedication of the winemaking artisan and the creative flourish of the artist to reveal the essence of Priorat: elegant, characterful wines bearing the signature of the region’s privileged terroir.