Buil & Giné 2014 Priorat “Pleret,” Catalunya, Spain 🇪🇸

The Moment

Some Priorats are built around sheer force.
Others are built around patience.

The 2014 Buil & Giné “Pleret” feels like the second kind — a wine that asks you to slow down and let it unfold. A "pleret” in Catalan means slowly, calmly, step by step, which is exactly how they intend the wine to be enjoyed. Pleret is a dry red wine that captures the essence of Priorat and its old vineyards, very elegant and mineral.

The wine is built primarily from old-vine Garnacha and Cariñena from two unique plots in Gratallops and Bellmunt del Priorat, both rooted in llicorella slate soils, with the rest of the blend made up of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah. 85% Garnacha and Cinsault/Carignan-family component, with 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah, and flavors of plums, black raspberries, spice, tobacco, and slate-like minerality.

What It Feels Like

Think lamb on the table, dusk settling in, and a bottle that doesn’t rush to tell you everything at once.

What makes this wine compelling is the blend of dark fruit, minerality, and mature structure. Plums, black raspberries, spice, tobacco, and slate, with highlights of boysenberry, forest bark, green moss, raspberry, toasted fennel seed, vanilla, menthol, tobacco leaf, and dark forest.

In the Glass

Aromatics
Plum, black raspberry, spice, tobacco, and slate-like minerality, with darker foresty and fennel-toned complexity in the broader winery description.

Palate
Full-bodied, round, and concentrated, with integrated dark fruit, tobacco leaf, and mineral drive.

Texture
Supple tannins with a broad Priorat frame, but smoother and more elegant than blunt. 

Finish
Persistent, savory, and mineral, with dark fruit and tobacco lingering through the close. 

Why We Love This Bottle

A Priorat With Real Depth
Old-vine Garnacha and Cariñena on llicorella slate is already a strong foundation, and the Bordeaux/Rhône supporting grapes add another layer of complexity.

Slow-Building, Not Showy
The name and the winery’s own framing matter here: this is a wine meant to reveal itself gradually, not all at once. That makes it especially compelling for a dinner bottle.

Power With Polish
The wine is concentrated and full-bodied, but also smooth, elegant, and mineral. That is a very attractive Priorat lane.

Pair It With

• Grilled lamb
• Braised beef
• Game
• Mushroom dishes
• Aged cheeses

Technical Notes

Producer: Buil & Giné
Wine: Pleret
Vintage: 2014
Region: DOCa Priorat, Catalunya, Spain
Blend: 85% Garnacha/Cariñena-family core with 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah.

Vineyard / Soils:
Old bush vines in Gratallops and Bellmunt del Priorat, grown on llicorella slate soils.

Winemaking:
Each variety is fermented separately, with a long maceration at controlled temperatures around 26–28°C, followed by malolactic fermentation. The wine is then aged in new French oak for 10–14 months depending on the vintage, bottled, and given at least 6–8 months of bottle age before release.

Body: Full
Structure: Supple tannins · concentrated fruit · slate mineral core · persistent finish

Flavor Profile
Plum · Black Raspberry · Spice · Tobacco · Slate · Boysenberry · Forest Bark

Drink Window
Now–2030