Vinification Clos de l'Obac
Costers del Suirana is always one of the first estates to harvest in Priorat. That’s because they don’t want overripe grapes to enter in their tanks, which would unbalance the wines. Maceration and fermentation take place in a peculiar manner: all varieties are vinified together. All great wines are primarily representing their vines; for year to year, the same blends are made – which means the total volume depends on the quality of the grape with the smallest yield. With the rest of the harvest, Costers de Siurana makes the Usatges (red and white), The blend varies according to the vintage. For the top wines, the blends are as follows: -Clos de l’Obac: 35% Grenache, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah, 10% Carignan, 10% Merlot. Miserere: 27% Grenache, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Tempranillo, 10% Carignan, 10% Merlot. -Kyrie : 35% Grenache blanc, 30% Macabeu, 30% Xarello, 5% Muscat. Dolç de l’Obac: 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Costers del Siurana does not like to manipulate the wines too much: they are stabilised naturally by the winter cold, moved manually, and clarified with egg white. The type of barrels they use (Limousin, Allier or Nevers) and the length of the ageing process (between 12 and 15 months) varies according to the wine. The winemaking process of the Dolç de l’Obac (a sweet red) is specific: grapes are left to overripen on the vine; after the harvest, maceration and fermentation take place in barrels. Fermentation is stopped by adding alcohol (1%), so that the rest sugar is about 84 grams per liter.