2016 Sara Pérez y René Barbier Gratallops Partida Bellvisos

René Barbier (fourth generation of the same name !!!) started in the world of wine in 1992 at Clos Mogador with his father, the other René Barbier, the bearded and dedicated more than 20 years of his life to wine there. The first 10 years he worked mainly in the winery and then mainly in the vineyards and learned that unique land brings unique wines. This has now been proven with the iconic Clos Mogador, Venus Universal and Espectacle wines. In 2001 Rene Barbier had the opportunity to buy a small very old "coster" (steep sloping, traditional) vineyard called Els Bellvisos. This vineyard was abandoned and it was fascinating, in the middle of a steep quarry of holm oaks, the views and the absolute inhospitability are spectacular. It was during this same period that another major influence came into Rene's life in the form of Sara Pérez, his current wife and partner. The daughter of José Luis Pérez, one of the most important figures in the Spanish wine world.

Together with Sara they have brought the Bellvisos vineyard back into production. It was an uncompromising place, but one that offered the chance to make a wine that was one with nature. They started this project based on their philosophy of life: a sustainable, organic project where they could close the circle of life. This fascinating place known as Bellvisos (Bella Vista - Beautiful View) is an extremely steep "coster" or sloping vineyard which, due to the structure of the Llicorella or slate soil, makes it impossible to build vineyard terraces. It was abandoned 40 years before herbicides and chemical pesticides were available so was already completely original organic and biological. There are no neighbors because of the steep slopes around it: not even the bravest would plant a vineyard here! As a result, the area has been in perfect balance for a long time.

Ten years ago they started pruning and the abandoned vines at Bellvisos were brought back into production. They use a mule and hand plowing alternated with cutting the weeds. We apply herbal tea and milk whey as fertilizer and constantly walk through the vines. All manual and aimed at maintaining balance between the freshness of the plot and the depth that is typical Priorat (that which makes the wines so unique). We decide when to harvest based on our taste buds and our intuition… according to a very personal criterion. We prepare each wine in the vineyard by reproducing the wild yeasts ourselves that will lead to a natural alcoholic fermentation, preserving the different aromas according to each vintage.

The Bellvisos and the Partida del Pedrer wines come from this great unique, authentic vineyard in the heart of the Priorat.