Grower/Winemaker
Celler Cal pla
Priorat, Spain

As in much of the Old World, wine has always been a part of the story of the Priorat — and of the Sangenís family of Cal Pla, established in 1780. Joan Sangenis Juncosa is the eighth generation of his family to live in the village of Porrera. His family, like most in the Priorat, has always grown grapes, along with other crops like olives and hazelnuts. Joan’s great-great-great grandfather Jaume Monlleó Porqueres began making wine in large wooden casks. Villagers came to his cellar and filled their empty vessels with Cal Pla wine. Five generations later, Joan went to enology school to learn modern ways to make wine. He graduated just as the wines of René Barbier and his friends were bringing new attention to the historical wine region. In 1996 Joan and his family bottled their first vintage. Thus began a new chapter in the story of Celler Cal Pla. 

Jaume, Joan’s father, is happy to work with the vines and leave the winemaking to his son. Jaume’s knowledge of the land began even before he himself was born. Getting up and working with the vines each day is as much instinct as it is — purely and simply — life. And he has passed that knowledge on to his sons. 

But there is no separation of the sexes in the Sangenís house. Joan’s mother, Mercé, is out every morning alongside the men, bending over the vines, pruning and harvesting. Joan’s wife, Cristina, keeps track of their three busy boys, but during the harvest season she can regularly be found with rain boots on and a hose in her hand, spraying down the cellar to ensure it is kept clean. 

This equality shows in Joan’s approach to winemaking: “You must find the balance between the elegant man and the strong woman and vice versa. Carinyena* is elegant in the mouth; Garnatxa* is elegant in aroma. You have to blend them into one strong body.” But the Priorat is a land with a life force that cannot be ignored, and its character will come through regardless of human philosophy. In Joan’s words, “Nature is the protagonist. The story of the life of each vintage should live in every glass.”

The family took a big risk amidst the depressed times of the Priorat: In 1988 they purchased the Mas d’en Compte property, including vineyards, olive and hazelnut trees and the ruined old house of the estate. The land extends from the Cortiella riverbed to the steep slopes of the centenarian Garnatxa and Carinyena vines of Planots. Many vineyards had been left for dead and the family has been recuperating them over time. 

To make sure that this story never ends, Joan keeps careful notes on every vintage, from vineyard to cellar. And he and Cristina have added a new generation to the family, as have many others making wine and raising families in the Priorat today. They keep in touch with each other, sharing the challenges and successes of each vintage, unified by the pride and responsibility of ensuring the prosperity of the Priorat’s future. It is not a burden as much as a sense of continuity that inspires peace within daily life. As Joan says, “It is a good life when you can live with what you can create and also be able to support your family. It is hard work, and beautiful work. And everything is well. What more can you want?”

*Carinyena is Catalan for Carignan and Garnatxa is Catalan for Grenache.

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