October 7th: Clos Figueras with Anne Cannan
At Vinonueva | 5145 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL, 33137 | 7:00 pm-8:30 pm
Click HERE to get tickets
In partnership with SommSelection
We want to welcome Anne Cannan, winemaker at Clos Figueras and daughter of Christopher Cannan, one of the first to believe in and export the wines of Priorat. He was not only an exporter but also became a renowned winemaker in the region, alongside pioneers like René Barbier and Álvaro Palacios.
Anne has carried this vision forward with her own path. She studied winemaking in Priorat, gained experience in Argentina, Italy, and Australia, trained as a sommelier in Barcelona, and completed the OIV Master of Science in Paris. Today she leads Clos Figueras with her parents while developing her own project, Poblets del Montsant.
Passionate about both wine and community, Anne is a strong voice for women in Spanish wine. She is active with Mujeres del Vino, a local group of female winemakers, and helps organize an annual fair celebrating women shaping the future of Priorat.
Photo: Anne Cannan
BACKGROUND
Priorat: A Region Shaped by Centuries
The vineyards of Priorat, situated near Tarraco (modern-day Tarragona), the ancient Roman capital of the Iberian Peninsula, trace their roots back over 2,000 years to the Romans. In the Middle Ages, the Carthusian monks of Scala Dei ruled the area, giving the region its name (Priorat refers to the prior of Scala Dei). The monks cultivated vines alongside olives, almonds, and hazelnuts in the schist soils.
This centuries-old viticultural tradition was nearly lost. In 1835, the monasteries were expropriated, their lands redistributed. By the late 19th century, phylloxera devastated Priorat's 7,000 hectares of vineyards, causing ruin and emigration. The upheavals of the 20th century — political instability and civil war — further contributed to the decline. By the 1970s, fewer than 800 hectares remained under vine.
The revival began in the 1980s when visionaries like René Barbier and Álvaro Palacios recognized Priorat's extraordinary potential, producing world-class wines from abandoned vineyards and ancient Grenache and Carignan.
Christopher Cannan and the Birth of Clos Figueras
Photo: Christopher Cannan & Anne Cannan
The English-born négociant Christopher Cannan, founder of the Bordeaux-based export company Europvin, was among the first to see Priorat's promise. His introduction came in 1983, when he was given a bottle of Scala Dei's 1974 vintage. Impressed by its quality and value, he began exporting Scala Dei wines to markets like the U.S. and Japan — at a time when they were the only Priorat estate exporting internationally.
In 1988, Cannan met Álvaro Palacios, who shared his vision of making world-class wines from Priorat's old vineyards. Through Palacios, he was introduced to René Barbier of Clos Mogador. Although initially skeptical of the high prices for this unknown wine, Cannan eventually showed samples to Robert Parker at a Europvin tasting in Bordeaux. Parker's enthusiastic reviews in The Wine Advocate helped catapult Priorat to global recognition.
In 1997, Barbier led Christopher and his wife Charlotte to an abandoned vineyard north of Gratallops called Figueres. Within months, the Cannans acquired the property. The estate was named Clos Figueras — "Clos" for the walled surroundings and the fact that the 10 hectares were a single plot, and "Figueras" in honor of the two magnificent fig trees on the land. The estate comprised 10 hectares of abandoned terraces, centuries-old olive trees, and some 20-year-old Carignan vines, all in need of revival. The hard work of restoration began.
Replanting, Expansion, and a Fortunate Mistake
The early years were devoted to restoring the vineyard. Most of the land was replanted with Grenache, Carignan, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Viognier, and Cabernet Sauvignon. A nursery mix-up resulted in far more Viognier than Cabernet — an error that proved fortuitous. Rather than re-graft, the Cannans decided to keep the Viognier, which later became their acclaimed white wine, Font de la Figuera Blanco, now blended with Grenache Blanc and Chenin Blanc.
In 2000, Clos Figueras expanded to 18 hectares through the purchase of neighboring plots, gaining access to old-vine Grenache and Carignan that today form the backbone of the flagship wine Clos Figueres.
Recognition and Growth
The first vintage, Font de la Figuera 1999, yielded just 1,200 bottles. But by 2000, Clos Figueras was producing wines of depth, and the 2001 Clos Figueres earned 96 points from Robert Parker. Subsequent vintages continued to receive outstanding scores, quickly placing the estate among the finest in Priorat.
Initially vinified at Clos Mogador, the wines soon found their own home in a converted chicken barn in Gratallops (2002). Over time, the estate expanded its reputation, establishing strong export markets in the U.S., Switzerland, Canada, Brazil, and beyond. Today, its wines are present in top restaurants worldwide, while also becoming a fixture in Spain's top restaurants, especially in Barcelona, the Costa Brava, and Madrid.
Check out the lineup for this tasting:
- Clos Figueras "Serras del Priorat" White 2023
- Clos Figueras "Serras del Priorat" Red 2022
- Clos Figueras "Serras del Priorat" Red 2017
- Clos Figueras "Font de la Figuera" Red 2021
- Clos Figueras "Sweet" 2023
Photo credits: Clos Figueras