Producer Profile
Marco Abella
The Marco family have been wine growers since the 15th Century in Priorat. The family emigrated to the 19th Century, then over a century later, Olivia Bayes and David Marco decided to come back to their roots. They built a modern winery, and recovered old family vineyards and set about production. Their fundamental values are based around dedication to the distinguished land.
Marco Abella now owns 7 different estates located across 7 peaks between 500 and 750 metres above sea level in the mountains of the village of Porrera. The sea breeze which reaches these peaks from the Mediterranean Sea, greatly facilitates the practice of sustainable agriculture.
The soil is relatively acidic and has very little organic matter. It mainly consists of slate, which gives Priorat wines their unique character. The vines are grown on terraces and steep slopes to aid balanced ripening. The area has its own microclimate, which is characterised by hot summers and very cold winters. The cooler climate at altitude provides a slower ripening process and a later harvest. This gives Marco Abella wines a unique freshness and finesse.
The winery, built in 2005, is located at the entrance of one of their 7 sites. Two of the floors are underground, so that gravity can be used for stages of the winemaking process and temperature and humidity levels can be controlled. This is necessary for ageing and conservation of the wines in a natural way. The grapes from different sites are fermented separately, then aged in French oak on the third floor of the winery at a depth of 7 metres.
Marco Abella’s wines are a clear expression of its terroir and passion. Because they want to express the typicity of the terroir as much as possible, the varieties dominating their vineyards are the indigenous Grenache and Carignan.
