2016 Cellers de Scala Dei Prior Scala Dei Priorat Spain 750 ml

We first tasted the inky, dark-fruited 2016 Cellers de Scala Dei Prior Scala Dei in the Catalan village of Porrera, at a hole-in-the-wall called Restaurant La Cooperativa. It had pastel walls, low ceilings, mismatched tablecloths, and a to-die-for braised lamb shoulder—sublime with the old-vine blend the gregarious proprietor had poured into our glasses. Perfect dish, perfect wine, perfect night.

Trust us, if we could have brought back the whole scene, we would have. But we came home with the next best thing: a powerful red whose supercharged concentration, nose of blackberry and cherry, and superb minerality are irresistible. And we’ve got it at a price that’s all but unheard of for Priorat’s marquee wines on American soil.

Though this 2016 release comes with 856 years of history behind it, today is the best possible moment in those eight centuries to discover Scala Dei—the moment modernism and Priorat’s famed llicorella soils combine to produce positively delicious wines that give Napa Cabernets a run for their money. 

The 2016 Prior Scala Dei offers the kind of ripe, full-bodied black fruits that will have New World Cabernet lovers grinning sip after sip, and also delivers the savory spices and liquid-rock minerality so prized by Rhône enthusiasts. Priorat's iconic volcanic slate soils contribute a distinctive smokey mineral quality, juxtaposed with bold and vibrant dark berry notes. 

While it can get complicated, some things about Spanish wine are exceedingly simple. The country has just two regions that qualify as DOCa (or DOQ in Catalan), the highest classification in the land. Priorat is one of them, and the region’s smoky, mineral, and full-bodied reds are Spain’s bold and unapologetic challenge to New World regions… and a serious rival to the Southern Rhône as well. 

Confined to a tightly limited area west of Barcelona, Priorat is known for its steep slopes, arid weather, and a high proportion of slate in the soil. Here, international grape varieties thrive, and yield wines with uncommon minerality and incredible power on the palate. 

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate has praised Scala Dei for years, honoring the estate’s wines with multiple 96+-point scores and calling the wines “Brilliant!” and “superb.” Today’s Priorat comes from the same vines that go into those luxury-priced bottlings, and delivers the best of Spain’s terroir at a serious value price.