Sara i Rene Viticultors

When Sara Perez and Rene Barbier married they created a dynasty. Offspring of two of the Priorat Five (the five young winemakers who, in the 90s - saved Priorat from complete desolation and pushed it to glory), they cut their teeth in the family wineries of Mas Martinet and Clos Mogador, and both producers remain firmly in the top tier of this Catalan DOC. Sara I Rene participate in several projects together as well as now running the family legacies. Venus was started by Sara before they married. Based in Montsant and aiming to ‘interpret femininity through a bottle of wine’. Demonstrating magnificent texture and restraint when compared to the wines from neighbouring Priorat, they are elegant and refined and seem to improve with every vintage, it is also now fully organic. The other project is Bellvisos, and was started by Rene when he bought the abandoned 90 year old vineyard and started the rejuvenation process. Now in its tenth vintage, it is producing fascinating wines. I had the pleasure of meeting Rene and Sara and spending the day touring and tasting their many projects. It is easy to see how they produce so many fantastic wines as their approach to life and demeanours differ so dramatically. Sara is fiery and passionate, whilst Rene is quiet, gentle and thoughtful. I can still remember Rene chuckling to himself as Sara banged her fist on the kitchen table as she railed on the Spanish and gave her thoughts on Catalan independence. Through their distinct skill sets and philosophy’s, they have managed to build a cohesive vision for their multi regional projects, and their own band of young wines makers. The future is in good hands. RORY