The DO Montsant can only be understood in relation to its ‘sister’, the DOQ Priorat. His- torically part of the same county, the ab- bots of the monastery of Scala Dei laid claim to the slate soil at the heart of the region and called it the ‘Priorat’. In mo- dern terms, this ‘historical region’ is the DO of the sa- me name. Surrounding it on all sides is the DO Mont- sant. Whereas the DO Priorat is one of the regions in Spain with the most uniform soil type, the Montsant is quite the contrary, with many different soil types (perhaps to be expected as it is geographically quite disperse).

The name of the Montsant comes from the ridge of mountains which form the western bor- der of the Priorat. In this photograph, taken from the Finca Mores estate, we are looking all the way across the Priorat; in the foreground one can see a sliver of the last vineyards in the Montsant, whereas the main property in the image is in the Priorat. In the background, the majestic ridge of the Montsant, which once again forms part of the DO of the same name.