In 1972, well before the Priorat wine boom of the 1990s, Peter Hodgkinson bought a 76 hectare abandoned property of pine forest, almond and olive trees and vines called Mas del Habanero. Back then, he had no intention of making wine. It was just an escape from the city, a beautiful stone terraced landscape that captured his heart and imagination. Peter Hodgkinson was an architect in Barcelona and partner of Ricardo Bofill’s Taller de Arquitectura. The family spent weekends and holidays enjoying the beautiful countryside and participating in the harvests where the grapes were taken to the local cooperative of Gratallops. Of Peter’s three sons Peter, Caspare and Luca, it was Luca who showed an early interest in viticulture and wine, going on to study oenology in Bordeaux and working and traveling to many winemaking regions. Eventually, Peter Hodgkinson’s sons, spurred on by Luca decided to initiate their wine family project in 2014. The combination of an ideal location, a large property with existing vineyards and Luca’s winemaking experience, created a unique opportunity to unveil a new and fresh interpretation of the fine wines of Priorat.
The Hodgkinsons’ estate, Mas del Habanero is located at the very southern border of the Priorato region between Falset and Gratallops. Influenced by the Mediterranean climate, the property benefits from fresh afternoon breezes that lower the temperatures, allowing the grapes they grow to retain natural high acidity and balance. The winemaking principle at the estate is one of minimal intervention, with no additives. They aim to make unadulterated, pure expressions of their land. Fermentations happen on native yeasts, and they and age the wines in different materials according to the characteristics of each individual vineyard, using a combination of clay amphorae, French oak barrels and cement vats. The combination of each particular vessel adds its uniqueness to the final assemblage of each wine. The vineyards are all farmed organically and the grapes are all hand harvested. What Peter Hodgkinson began as a simple getaway for his family has now blossomed into becoming one of the most compelling Priorat estates, making wines that are unfussy yet full of complexity, wines of pure terroir.
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