Llicorella Terroir

The hilly territory is formed of materials from the Paleozoic era, mainly Devonian and Carboniferous slates formed between 416 and 318 million years ago, and therefore among the oldest found at the surface in Catalonia. The production zone has soils dominated by Carboniferous slates called licorellas, with outcrops of hypogenic rocks, in steeply inclined strata that form rocky mountains without intervening valleys or plains. The llicorella itself is made up of laminar, brittle stones of a darkened copper colour. Almost 90% of the subsoil of the DO's villages is slate; the slates differ geologically in some respects, but the soils that develop on them share similar general characteristics. The naming deserves a little care, because the rock names overlap. Shale that is buried and heated over millions of years gradually becomes slate, and if it keeps descending into hotter zones for millions more years it becomes schist. The Spanish term llicorella is generally translated as slate, and the names shale, slate and schist have fluid boundaries.

• Age: mainly Devonian and Carboniferous slates formed between 416 and 318 million years ago, among the oldest at the surface in Catalonia.
• Form: laminar, brittle stones of a darkened copper colour, in steeply inclined strata with outcrops of hypogenic rocks.
• Extent: almost 90% of the subsoil of the DO's villages is slate, and the soils that develop on it share similar general characteristics.
• Naming: except on the fringes of the region, the soil is pure slate or schist, known locally as llicorella; the term is generally translated as slate.

The soils are shallow, normally a single horizon, with bedrock about 10 to 15 cm below the surface; they are low in organic matter and formed mostly by the breakdown of the slates. The roots of the vines work their way between the laminar sheets of the llicorella in search of moisture, water and nutrients. The vine suffers, and harvests are scarce, with very low yields averaging around or below 1 kilogram of grapes per plant. There is virtually no topsoil, yet there is no shortage of water underground, so the parched roots must descend many metres to find enough moisture to keep the vines alive. The appellation's rules, set out in its November 2021 product specification, cap production at 6,000 kg per hectare for red varieties and 8,000 kg per hectare for white varieties. The soils' high stoniness and permeability favour rooting and the longevity of the plant. The dark colour of llicorella is also thought to absorb radiation and return the heat to the plant, affecting ripening, skin colour and sugar content.

• Shallow soils: bedrock at about 10 to 15 cm, normally a single horizon, low in organic matter.
• Low yields: around, or less than, 1 kg of grapes per plant on average.
• Heat: the dark colour of llicorella is thought to absorb radiation and return the heat to the plant, affecting ripening, skin colour and sugar content.
• Moisture and vigour: soils dominated by licorellas avoid excess humidity, and the hard ground and dry climate keep vine growth low, which makes for a low incidence of disease.

The tortuous geography means many vineyards are worked as costers, the Catalan word for a steep slope, and in some areas terraces have been built; some terraces are so narrow that there is only space for two rows of vines, so the vineyard cannot be worked with farm machinery. Most vineyards have gradients of more than 15%, some estates reach 60%, and vineyards run from 100 metres above sea level in Bellmunt del Priorat and el Molar up to 750 metres in La Morera de Montsant and Porrera. The oldest vines of the appellation were planted after phylloxera, at the end of the 19th and start of the 20th century, and grow on traditional costers with slopes averaging close to 30%, where all work is done by hand. Since the 1990s there has been major replanting, at first on terraces; the hectares planted on terraces and on traditional costers have since become equal, with a clear trend back to the traditional system. The Carthusian monastery of Scala Dei is regarded as the birthplace of wines and winemaking in the DOQ Priorat region: the Carthusians were established there in 1194 and planted vineyards and made wine in the monastery. At the beginning of 2013 the DOQ was admitted to CERVIM, an international institute formed in 1987 under the leadership of the OIV that unites organisations working for the valuation and preservation of mountain viticulture. Priorat meets the conditions of 'heroic' viticulture, including orography with little mechanisation and small vineyards often organised on terraces.

• Costers: the Catalan word for a steep slope; many Priorat vineyards are worked this way, and some on terraces.
• Gradients: more than 15% in most cases, with some estates reaching 60%; traditional costers average close to 30%.
• Scala Dei: the Carthusians were established in 1194 and planted vineyards and made wine in the monastery.
• Heroic viticulture: the DOQ joined CERVIM at the beginning of 2013 and meets its conditions, including orography with little mechanisation and small vineyards often on terraces.

The appellation's own product specification links its difficult orography, soils dominated by licorellas, the protection of the Sierra del Montsant, day-night temperature swings, cold winters, dry hot summers and low rainfall to low production, small concentrated bunches and slow ripening. In the specification's account, these factors give the wines concentration, body and structure, and the white, rosé and red wines of the first harvests show notes of high minerality and freshness from their acidity. Sara Pérez, then winemaker at Mas Martinet, put her wines at about 14.2% alcohol with a pH around 3.4 or less, and in 2007 told wine writer Stephen Brook: 'Our llicorella soils retain freshness and disguise the alcohol.' Brook himself judged that llicorella stamps its personality on the wines, whatever their composition. Andrew Jefford is more cautious: for him, the mechanism by which rock type might influence flavour is one of the key wine questions of our time. After a 2017 tasting of schist-grown wines, he judged soil type an undertone compared with the overtones of climate, variety and winemaking strategy. Growers at that tasting pointed out that schist soils, usually acid, tend to give high pH wines.

• Official link: the product specification credits soils dominated by licorellas, among other factors, with low production, small concentrated bunches and slow ripening, giving concentration, body and structure.
• Minerality: the same document credits wines of the first harvests with notes of high minerality and freshness from their acidity.
• Grower view: for Sara Pérez in 2007, llicorella soils retain freshness and disguise the alcohol, with a pH around 3.4 or less.
• Debate: Andrew Jefford sees soil type as an enabler of possibilities rather than a clear sensory stamp.

The 'names of the land' classification has five categories: DOQ Priorat wine, Vins de Vila, Paratge wines, Vinya Classificada and Gran Vinya Classificada. The DOQ is formed by 12 grape growing zones, and the product specification sets separate rules for each labelled unit. Village wines cap red grapes at 5,000 kg per hectare with 90% of the vines over 10 years old; paratge wines cap reds at 4,000 kg per hectare with 90% over 15 years; vinya classificada caps reds at 4,000 kg per hectare with 80% over 20 years; all three require at least 60% Cariñena and/or Garnacha (black, peluda or white). Gran vinya classificada caps reds at 3,000 kg per hectare and requires 80% of the vines to be over 35 years old and a minimum of 90% Cariñena and/or Garnacha. The register dated 8 January 2024 lists three Grans Vinyes Classificades: L'Ermita in Gratallops (owner Alvaro Palacios, 4.8898 ha), Mas de la Rosa in Porrera (owner Albert Costa, 3.5512 ha) and Tossal d'en Bou in Poboleda (owner Celler Mas Doix, 3.2325 ha). L'Ermita's soil is schist known locally as llicorella, and Tossal d'en Bou lies on steep llicorella slate hillsides.

• Five categories: DOQ Priorat wine, Vins de Vila, Paratge wines, Vinya Classificada and Gran Vinya Classificada.
• Gran vinya classificada: at most 3,000 kg per hectare for red varieties, 80% of vines over 35 years, at least 90% Cariñena and/or Garnacha.
• Register of 8 January 2024: L'Ermita (Gratallops), Mas de la Rosa (Porrera) and Tossal d'en Bou (Poboleda) are the three Grans Vinyes Classificades.
• Llicorella sites: L'Ermita's soil is schist known locally as llicorella, and Tossal d'en Bou lies on steep llicorella slate hillsides.

Primary sources: https://incavi.gencat.cat/content/dam/incavi/home/normativa/plecs-de-condicions-de-les-do-catalanes/do-priorat/PC-Priorat-DOQ-nov-21-control-de-canvis.pdf, https://incavi.gencat.cat/ca/coneix-el-vi-catala/denominacions-dorigen-catalanes/do-priorat, https://www.doqpriorat.org/en/territory/, https://www.doqpriorat.org/en/varietals/, https://www.doqpriorat.org/en/thenamesoftheland/, https://www.doqpriorat.org/en/history/, https://www.doqpriorat.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/GVC_gener2024-1.pdf, https://www.doqpriorat.org/en/the-villages/, https://masdoix.com/en/our-wines/, https://terroir-al-limit.com/terroir-al-limit-arbossar-vi-de-coster/. Secondary sources: https://www.decanter.com/features/priorat-247387/, https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/opinion/jefford-on-monday/schists-and-wine-flavour-terroir-debate-363518/, https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/alvaro-palacios-lermita-1993-299678/. Last verified 2026-10-04