Weingut über:
Adrets del Priorat NerinTerra (Priorat)
-- Weingut: The arrival of the Famille Belondrade to Priorat is closely tied to Gonzalo Cores, a renowned coin collector and passionate admirer of music, art and fine wines from exceptional landscapes. His sensitivity and shared passion forged a deep and lasting friendship with Didier Belondrade. It was Gonzalo Cores who invited Didier, Marta Baquerizo and Jean Belondrade to discover Priorat. In 2016, after a long journey they reached a secluded plot bordered by forest, its twenty terraces opening to the Sierra del Montsant. Though the estate lay in a semi-abandoned state, its wild charm and unique character immediately captivated them. Moved by Cores’s enthusiasm, they chose to acquire this hidden gem of less than two hectares. They named it 'Clos de L’Afaitador' paying homage to a 19th-century abandoned farmhouse in the surrounding forest, once home to the local sharpener, a humble figure deeply woven into local tradition. In their first year, the Famille Belondrade chose caution and curiosity: most of the harvest was sold, while only small quantities of grapes from different plots were vinified. This allowed them to study the character and potential of the land with care. Over time, the proportion of grapes sold diminished, giving way to a focused pursuit of the estate’s unique expression. In 2020, just a month before the release of the inaugural vintage of NerinTerra (2018), Gonzalo Cores passed away. He never witnessed the realization of this dream, yet his vision continues to inspire every step of the project. The 2,000 bottles of that first vintage were entirely exported, finding their way to South Korea, the United States, and Belgium. By 2023, the family’s commitment to Priorat deepened further with the acquisition of their own cellar and several small plots in the village of Torroja del Priorat (Tarragona). This new chapter took the name Adrets del Priorat. Priorat is often described as a land that casts a spell on first-time visitors. Its proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, its deep-rooted history, and its dramatic, rugged landscapes make it one of the Old World’s most unforgettable wine regions. Today, Adrets del Priorat encompasses eight plots in the process of organic certification, covering a total of seven and a half hectares scattered across several villages. Each plot brings its own personality, shaped by differences in altitude, orientation, planting patterns, and grape varieties. The soils are equally diverse: licorella—a fractured, slate-like rock that defines Priorat—is predominant, interspersed with clay and rare limestone veins. Altitudes range from 180 to 550 meters above sea level, creating ripening differences of up to six weeks between plots. The vineyard is rooted in Priorat’s classic varieties, Garnatxa and Carinyena, complemented by smaller plantings of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and even a handful of ancient white vines of uncertain origin. The steep slopes—often between 40% and 50%—and planting density demand extraordinary effort. Much of the estate must be tilled by winch, a laborious and costly practice. Among the most distinctive parcels are El Llac, L’Amphithéâtre, La Cresta, and El Ventanal. With more than 8.000 vines per hectare, their density forces the roots to burrow deep in search of water and nutrients, yielding a pure, concentrated expression of this remarkable terroir. From the beginning, it was clear that Priorat would not be a fleeting project in the life of the Famille Belondrade. Seven years after their first encounter with the region, their commitment took tangible form with the purchase of a cellar in Torroja del Priorat. The building, a 250-square-meter concrete structure embedded into the hillside, faces east to west, ensuring excellent thermal inertia throughout the year. Its design is both practical and respectful of the land. The wines of Adrets del Priorat embody a constant search for balance: an aromatic finesse supported by freshness, acidity, and polished tannins. Each grape variety, each plot, and each harvest day is vinified separately, allowing the blending process to reflect the full complexity of the vineyard. Every wine is intended as a singular interpretation of Priorat’s terroir, where diversity is not a challenge but a source of richness. NerinTerra is born from the Clos de l’Afaitador estate. Grapes are harvested by hand in 15-kilogram boxes to ensure impeccable quality. Once at the cellar, they are carefully sorted before undergoing a two-week maceration, with gentle, spaced punch-downs to maintain controlled extraction. Fermentation occurs spontaneously, guided by the natural yeasts of the vineyard. Aging takes place in used French oak barrels of different sizes and origins, adapted each year to the character of the vintage. The wine is then left in bottle for as long as the Famille Belondrade deems necessary, ensuring that it reaches the customer round, harmonious, and ready to enjoy. The 2021 vintage was marked by a climate full of contrasts. The year began with the famous “Filomena” storm, which brought unusual snowfall to the region. Although it was short-lived, the snow was a real gift: it replenished the soil with water and gave the vines a break after the efforts of the previous harvest. Spring was calm, with mild temperatures and irregular rainfall, which caused the cycle to start slightly earlier than usual. The change came in summer, when an intense drought set in, accompanied by heat. This resulted in smaller, more concentrated bunches, producing grapes with a lot of personality, although in smaller quantities than usual. The big surprise came in September: some very timely rains arrived as a relief for the Garnatxa vines, which had already been harvested in good condition. However, those same rains became a real headache for the Carinyenas, favoring the appearance of botrytis. We were forced to intensify our work in the vineyard, removing leaves and applying an organic drying agent to slow the spread of the fungus. Even so, our efforts were only partially successful: in the end, we managed to save just 30% of the Carinyena production. The result was a low-yield harvest, but with wines of great character: intense, with pronounced but elegant tannins, and a freshness that balances the ripeness of the fruit. In short, 2021 produced wines that reflect both the harshness of the summer and the harmony that came at the end of the season.
