One of Priorat’s historic properties, Mas d’en Gil must have been in the hands of the Escaladei monastery until the ecclesiastical confiscations ordered by the government in 1835. More recently, it has been owned by three families: the Gil Borrás’s, the Barril’s and their current owners, the Rovira Carbonell family. In one way or another, all of them have contributed to the preservation and development of its wine heritage.
The historical research carried out by Marta Rovira, the current director, has made it possible to retrace the property's background and its milestones. For her, the key is that 150 years ago someone realised that this place was a strategic landmark in Priorat. At Mas d'n Gil, two winds converge: the garbinada, the sea breeze that refreshes the vines during the ripening stage, and the colder northeast winds. Most vineyards are oriented to the east or the northeast so Garnacha is protected from the strong afternoon sun thus avoiding the warm notes that might be expected in such a southern latitude within the DOQ. Soil diversity is another key feature; in addition to slate, there are clay, sandy and stony soils at the bottom of the valley and ravines.
In 1860, Francesc Gil Borràs, an entrepreneur from Reus who greatly helped to boost agriculture in the province of Tarragona, bought this property with some 120 hectares under vine and named it after himself. Under his guidance, wines were bottled and the brand gained recognition in international exhibitions. In 1931 the property changed hands and was renamed after its new owners. Engineer Rafael Barril Figueras built a house and retained the tradition of planting olive trees to mark the boundaries of the estate. His children used to sell the grapes until they were asked to produce a wine for a wine club in the 1980s. This marked a turning point in terms of bottling and selling abroad. At a time when barrel-aged Rioja was the standard for reds in Spain, the Barril labels stated that Priorat wines were naturally mature and didn’t require any oak ageing.
The Rovira Carbonell family, deeply rooted in Penedès and with a major stake in Cavas Hill as well as ample exporting experience, took Mas d’en Gil into the 21st century. Following its purchase in 1998, they restored the original name, recovered vines and olive trees, refurbished the winery, built ageing facilities and developed a new range of wines. Currently, 90% of Mas d’en Gil wines are exported -the second generation speaks French, English and German fluently.
When Marta Rovira took over the management of the estate in 2008, she introduced biodynamic practices focusing efforts on the vineyards. The number of plots that were vinified separately increased from 35 to 53, and harvesting dates were brought forward 10 days to produce fresher wines with more tension. The estate now covers 125 hectares including 55 of forest, 15 of olive trees and 35 hectares of vines. When the Rovira family arrived here, the estate had 25 hectares of old vines and they planted a further 10. All the crops are certified organic, but they have not made the leap to Demeter because of the difficulty of farming the whole property biodynamically.
They also try to preserve the specific characteristics of each plot. Thus, green pruning is avoided in a cool vineyard that naturally yielded bigger berries with distinctly red fruit character. These grapes are now destined to the fluid, scented and fruit-driven Bellmunt (€15 in Spain), the entry-level village wine that is aged in concrete. In a way, it echoes the philosophy of Masía Barril's naturally mature wines. These vines were planted between 1996 and 1998 on slate soils. The white Bellmunt is a blend of Garnacha Blanca with around 30% Macabeo and 10% Viognier. The Rhône grapes were planted by Pere Rovira when he purchased the estate.
Around 100,000 bottles are produced. Different areas or tiny valleys with their own character have been identified in the property. One of them is Coma valley, an area with slate and clay soils exposed to the garbinada breeze. Two wines are made from here: the red Coma Vella and the white Coma Alta. The first one blends Garnacha with Cariñena (20%) and Syrah (10%). The white is produced with Garnacha Blanca planted in 2000. Both of them retail at around €25.
Mas d’en Gil makes two “vino de viña clasificada” wines (as crus are known in Priorat). Grapes are sourced from the oldest vineyards in the property. While the vigorous red Clos Fontà features slightly more Garnacha than Cariñena, the deep white Coma Blanca combines 60% Macabeo and 40% Garnacha Blanca planted in 1945. Thanks to this heritage of old vines, Mas d’en Gil has always been a benchmark white wine producer in the area and has devoted considerable room to this style within its portfolio. Another distinctive feature is that the wines are released slightly later that the standard in Priorat so they gain extra complexity.
Gran Buig is only produced in outstanding vintages, when both Garnacha and Cariñena perform at their best. Grapes are taken from the Clos Fontà cuvée in a way that it does not adversely affect its quality. To date it has been produced in 1993, 2004 and 2016.
For Garnacha to achieve finesse and perfume in Priorat, says Marta, an absence of heat in August is required; Cariñena, on the other hand, thrives when it doesn't rain in September. She has a natural predilection for Garnacha, the variety that reaches its best expression in her vineyards. That is why she is now working on a premium red Garnacha to be released soon.
In 2017 for the reds and 2018 for the whites, the range saw a change to burgundy-shaped bottles and label designs inspired in the wines of yesteryear.
Wine tours include a stroll through vineyards and a tasting of three wines, one for each step of the range, as well as olive oil from their own trees and an old solera vinegar.
