From the atlas
Clos Galena
Clos Galena makes Priorat reds in El Molar from llicorella soils, low yields and organic vineyard work.
At A Glance
| Field | Detail |
| Appellation | DOQ Priorat |
| Home | El Molar, Tarragona |
| Red wines | Galena Priorat Eco, Formiga de Vellut and Crossos Priorat |
| Other projects | Terra Alta and Montsant |
| Defining feature | Organic farming on llicorella slate |
The Producer
The name Clos Galena comes from galena, the principal mineral historically extracted from mines near El Molar. Clos Galena is a wine producer based at Camí de la Solana in El Molar, Tarragona, with wines under the DOQ Priorat appellation.
The red plantings include Garnacha, Cariñena, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Garnacha Blanca and Viognier provide the white grape plantings. The estate has 30 hectares of vineyards surrounded by forest and natural vegetation. Its wines use French and American oak during production and ageing.
Place
El Molar is the Tarragona municipality where Clos Galena's vineyards and winery are based. The Priorat wines carry the DOQ Priorat appellation, a protected regional designation that places the bottles within Priorat's regulated wine category.
The company also operates projects in Terra Alta and Montsant. Those projects extend the range beyond the Priorat wines made around El Molar.
Soil And Site
Forest and natural vegetation surround the Clos Galena vineyards. The soil is slate, known locally as llicorella. Slate drains freely and offers limited easily available water, so vines growing in it can carry smaller crops and develop concentrated fruit.
Yields at Clos Galena do not exceed one kilogram per vine. The low crop limit reduces the amount of fruit carried by each vine and keeps the vineyard work focused on small harvests.
Story
Miguel Pérez began the family supported Clos Galena project in 1999, with the aim of producing distinctive wines. Toni Coca has participated since the first fermentation in 2001, bringing producer, oenologist and consultant roles to the project.
When Pérez died in 2013, his wife Merche Dalmau rejected several offers to sell the winery. She continued her husband's legacy and led Clos Galena with Coca and the vineyard and winemaking team. The change placed the project under Dalmau's leadership while Coca remained involved in the work that began with the first fermentation.
Vineyards And Cellar
Clos Galena has practised organic farming since the first vineyards were purchased in 1994. Organic farming avoids synthetic vineyard treatments and can encourage deeper root activity as vines search through the soil for water and nutrients.
French and American oak are used in winemaking and ageing. Oak allows gradual oxygen exchange and can contribute spice, toast and a softer feel to tannin as the wine matures. The producer describes the oak as part of a careful process aimed at authenticity and typicality.
Wines
The named Priorat range includes Galena Priorat Eco, Formiga de Vellut and Crossos Priorat. Formiga de Vellut is a blended red, while Galena and Crossos are presented as individual Priorat wines.
Crossos spends six months in barrels made from 80 percent French oak and 20 percent American oak. Beyond these Priorat bottles, the company makes Secrets de Mar red and white wines in Terra Alta and Moments del Montsant in Montsant.
In The Glass
Galena Priorat Eco is dry, full bodied and generous, with present acidity and dominant oak. Its aromas bring black fruit, coconut, cooked fruit, sweet spices and toasted oak. The combination gives the wine a broad palate with acidity still visible beneath the oak.
Formiga de Vellut shows red berries, balsam, black pepper and strawberry candy over a faint mineral background. Its tannins are yielding and its body is smooth and unexpectedly light on the palate. Ripe red fruit and spices continue into a fresh, smooth finish.
Crossos combines balsamic, red fruit and black fruit with thyme, orange peel and spices. It is intense and broad textured but balanced, with fruit and freshness present through the palate.
A Bottle To Understand It
Open Formiga de Vellut 2022 first. The wine combines 60 percent Grenache, 20 percent Carignan and 20 percent Syrah, then spends eight months in barrels made from 80 percent French oak and 20 percent American oak.
That composition places three important red grape varieties in one Priorat bottle, while the oak period gives the wine a defined ageing method. Formiga de Vellut presents the producer through grape proportion and cellar work before the range moves to the more oak marked Galena and the shorter aged Crossos.
Anecdote
In 2017, Formiga de Vellut was the wine served at the Nobel Prize Awards Dinner in Stockholm. The Nobel dinner is a formal banquet held in Stockholm for the prize celebrations, and the chosen bottle came from Clos Galena's Priorat range. The event named Formiga de Vellut, while the vintage served was not stated. The selection concerned the bottle's name and the Stockholm dinner, with no separate vintage attached to the occasion. The bottle on the table was Formiga de Vellut.
Final Word
Clos Galena's named Priorat range includes Galena, Formiga de Vellut and Crossos, while the company also operates projects in Terra Alta and Montsant.
Sources
1. https://www.closgalena.com/historia?lang=en 2. https://www.closgalena.com/vi%C3%B1edo-bodega?lang=en 3. https://spanishwinelover.com/winerie/clos-galena 4. https://www.decanter.com/sponsored/clos-galena-25-years-showcasing-priorats-potential-521220/ 5. https://www.closgalena.com/vinospriorat?lang=en 6. https://www.enterwine.com/en/formiga-de-vellut-2022 7. https://www.saq.com/en/10860901 8. https://www.dabas.com/productsheet/08437006680028