Tasting note
- Character
- “Somni” – Catalan for dream – is the masterpiece of Alfredo Arribas, the former architect who reveals the elegant side of Priorat. The cuvée of Cariñena and Syrah unites power and finesse: dark fruit, Mediterranean spice, a cooling, almost saline minerality. Massive in its aromas, moderate in alcohol – a Priorat that tastes of wet stone and wild herbs rather than overripeness and new wood.
- Terroir & Origin
- The vines are rooted in the Llicorella slate of Priorat, on terraces near El Lloar and Bellmunt that once lay fallow. The Clos del Portal estate stretches from the valley of the Siurana river towards the Montsant mountains; only about half of the good fifty hectares is planted with vines, interspersed with olives, almonds and Mediterranean woodland. Arribas radically limits yields to roughly one kilogram per vine – a fraction of the norm. The estate is farmed organically, with an approach verging on biodynamics.
- Grape Varieties & Vinification
- Cariñena provides the deep, dark substance of old Priorat tradition, while Syrah adds spice and floral notes. In the cellar, cellar master Joan Asens continues the clear line: spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts, short macerations, minimal sulphur use, no new barriques. Earlier harvesting instead of overripeness – this preserves the freshness and allows the slate to shape the wine more strongly than any wood.
- Food Pairings
- The Mediterranean spice and cool minerality make Somni the ideal wine for rack of lamb with rosemary, braised ox cheek or rabbit paella. It also shows its best side with Manchego, mushroom dishes and grilled vegetables with herbs – wherever garrigue aromatics return to the table.
