Piñol Winery, This Is Halloween in D.O. Terra Alta

326/365 – Catalonia – D.O. Terra Alta – Batea – Piñol Winery of Terra Alta – Raig Raïm Red 2011

 

This Is Halloween……..,

….., or is it? Halloween is celebrated in Catalonia, and even though the children go trick or treating and make Jack O’Lanterns etc. the Catalans have their own tradition as well, eating Chestnuts in amazing quantities. It is known as The Castanyada, celebrated in Catalonia and Galicia respectively, mainly on All Saints’ Day. Like Halloween or the Celtic Samhain, its origins are in an ancient ritual festival of the dead. 

From Wikipedia

“In Catalonia consists of a meal of chestnuts, panellets, sweet potato and preserved fruits, typically with moscatell to drink. Around the time of this celebration, it is common for street vendors to sell hot toasted chestnuts wrapped in newspaper. In many places, confectioners often organise raffles of chestnuts and preserved fruit.

It seems that the tradition of eating these foods comes from the fact that during All Saints’ night, the night before All Souls’ Day in the Christian tradition, bell ringers would ring bells in commemoration of the dead into the early morning. Friends and relatives would help with this task, and everyone would eat these foods for sustenance.

Other versions of the story state that the Castanyada originates at the end of the 18th century and comes from the old funeral meals, where other foods, such as vegetables and dried fruit were not served. The meal had the symbolic significance of a communion with the souls of the departed: while the chestnuts were roasting, prayers would be said for the person who had just died. The festival is usually depicted with the figure of a castanyera: an old lady, dressed in peasant’s clothing and wearing a headscarf, sat behind a table, roasting chestnuts for street sale. In recent years, the Castanyada has become a revetlla of All Saints and is celebrated in the home and community. It is the first of the four main school festivals, alongside Christmas, Carnestoltes and St George’s Day, without reference to ritual or commemoration of the dead.“

Raig Raïm Red 2008, 55% Garnatxa, 20% Syrah, 15% Cariñena and 10% Merlot

Cherry red color, bluish hues. Clean and bright. Medium-high layer. Lovely blend from Terra Alta. Primary nose of mature red berries, Mediterranean herbs and some underbrush. It is a well defined wine with notes of light toast, smoky aromas and some floral elements, keeping it simple and really pleasant. Soft entry, with a silky and fresh feel, adding nice depth to the whole experience. Good balance, good acidity and a medium to long finish, a bit too sweet for my taste but certainly well made. Price/quality is excellent!

When visiting the different D.Os of catalonia it is hugely important to be organized. As they are quite spread out, I always try to book at least two or more wineries during the same trip. When I visited Terra Alta the last time I managed to visit Altavins winery in Batea and at the same time todays entry. The article about Altavins got a bit specific and I got into the details of Terra Alta, so if you want to know more about Terra Alta, you should read the “body and soul” article.

The Terra Alta is more know for the wonderful whites they produce and this too has been covered, when I wrote about the Terra Alta D.O. tasting in Falset at Hotel-Hostal Sport. This time I decided to go for two reds, reason being……, they also, in some cases, manage to create amazing reds!

Now don’t just continue reading….., it is after all Friday evening and Halloween, so you should open a nice bottle of wine, to get into the sentiment of the story. By the time you have finished your bottle, my article will be so well written, you will be thinking Hemingway is alive. Me? I’m enjoying a red, with rhythm, from Priorat! Very red and very tasty! Cheers!

Terra Alta is quite unknown, but certainly know for wines of great value! Keep this in mind, Terra Alta is going to be discovered as Columbus discovered India! The Celler Piñol exports 85% of its production to 25 countries! Someone beat Columbus, and found the holy grail but it is not to late. Once here, staying at the B&B of the winery, is the right way to enjoy the hospitality of the family.

Being that this was the first winery in Terra Alta to offer wine tourism it can’t go wrong. Celler Piñol operates four fully-equipped apartments, one that includes a large Jacuzzi in which you can enjoy vinotherapy, all of them perfect for soaking up the wine culture and an unforgettable experience.

The most southern region of Catalonia is characterised by a sprinkling of small towns and pockets of great beauty, retaining a charmingly medieval appearance. The countryside also has a timeless constancy, with dramatic mountains providing a sharp contrast to the plains, where crops of ancient Mediterranean stock (vines, almonds, olives) dot the landscape, as they have done throughout generations.

Piñol L’Avi Arrufi 2007, Garnacha (30%), Cariñena (60%) and Syrah (10%)

This is a well made wine and i love the blend, where the Cariñena gets to carry the wine! The color is dark cherry to ruby, almost opaque. The nose contains black fruit with high complexity and toasty notes. Secondary gives off currant, plums and some spicy, peppery indications. On the palate I got a hint of cacao and slight leather. It is full bodied with good acidity and some balsamic notes. Powerful, well structured and medium ling aftertaste.

62 to go!

Catalan Wine 365 and SweetEasy Wine Tours

 

 

Celler Orto Vins, Te Busco in D.O. Montsant

325/365 – Catalonia – D.O. Montsant – El Masroig – Celler Orto Vins – La Carrerada 2010

Te Busco……,

La Carrerada 2010, 100 % Samsó/Carinyena

Cherry red color with a garnet rim and high middle layer. This is the kind of wine you could smell all day long, really no need to drink it……, except the fact …., that would defy the whole purpose of its being. The aromas are amazing. Good intensity, mineral, spicy and warm. Black fruit, menthol, spearmint, balsamic. A very special nose that I think would appeal to most wine lovers. Although the taste carries some of the same properties, like black fruit, it is not as sweet as the nose. Slightly immature fruit, with high acidity. In the mouth it has a strong presence, enveloping with a good volume and satiny feel. It feels meaty and heavy, giving the tannins plenty of space but the aftertaste lacks length. Anyhow, I’d venture to say this is a great wine and not only because it is Catalan!

The Samsó, Carinyena, Sinsó or Carignan, is a black grape variety. The Carignan grape is very small and compact, of medium grain, round in its shape and of a bluish to black color. It contains lots of juice and plenty of sweet flavors. It is a productive variety but sensitive to diseases. It buds late and is therefor not affected by early spring frosts. Wines made by using Carignan have little body, little color but a strong fruity taste. It is used to make rosé wines or blends with Grenache grapes to produce light wines that are soft and that has harmony. The large amount of tannins makes it suitable for aging, especially if it has been blended with Tempranillo or Grenache.

The name “Samsó” derives from the French Cinsaut. It is grown throughout the Mediterranean between the Rhone and the Ebro. It is a traditional variety of ancient and unknown origin. It has been successfully transplanted to South Africa where it goes under the name Hermitage. It is one of the main varieties in many of the Catalan appellations, like D.O. Conca de Barbera, D.O. Costers del Segre, D.O. Empordà, D.O. Montsant, D.O. Penedès, D.O. Tarragona and D.O. Terra Alta, not to forget  DOQ  Priorat.

July 18, 2008 is the birthdate of Orto Vins in the D.O. Montsant. Four farmers previously working at the cooperative Masroig, with a long wine making tradition in their families, created Orto Vins. Perhaps the best known is Joan Asens on whose incredible knowledge, sensitivity and experience, the foundation for the success of his project is relying.

But this is a winery in which the land and labor are essential ingredients. Each of the four partners are important and do what they do best, whether in the field, in the cellar or at wine sales. During the span of about two years, parents died and left some vineyards. The idea was born, let’s make wine from our vineyards and with our own brand!

Bottle the goodness of the vineyards, enjoy the added features and offer the flavors of the most emblematic grapes of the region. The vineyards have a highly individual character, looked after devotedly for years by different generations of their families. They now use those grapes to create four special wines which they call the ‘singularidades de Orto’, effectively the Orto singular wine collection.

Alongside these four single varietals, of Cariñena, Ull de Llebre, Garnacha Peluda and Picapoll Negre, they also make two entry level wines – a red and a white – and two deliciously fresh, sweet wines. The sweets are naturally sweet and the vintage grapes makes them unique. All the wines are made in keeping with biodynamic agricultural methods, with total respect for the vineyard and the land.

Orto Vins is looking for beauty, purity, the expression of the terroir and the grape, and therein lies its name. According to their explanation, “Orto refers to the particular moment in time when the sun, or any other star, crosses the horizon line and becomes visible in our hemisphere. It therefore symbolizes the dawning of a new day. Orto (or Ortho) is also a prefix of Greek origin, meaning ‘straight’, ‘exact’ or even ‘true’”.

 

63 to go!

Catalan Wine 365 and SweetEasy Wine Tours

 

Celler Mas Vicenç, In The Jungle The Mighty Jungle, D.O. Tarragona

324/365 – Catalonia – D.O. Tarragona – Celler Mas Vicenç – Cabra del Camp – Dent de Lleó 2011

In The Jungle The Mighty Jungle………..,

Dent de Lleó 2011, 100% Chardonnay

Pale yellow color, clear and bright. Very original in its style, maybe too French for my liking but still a Tarragona Chardonnay. Exiting and intriguing! Doing things differently can sometimes be real good, just like In The Jungle. Its elegant combination of flower aromas such as orange tree and acacia flower sets it apart from the rest. There’s butter, green pear, apple and some chamomile. It also has notes of cinnamon and brioche. Smooth entry, very balanced with great acidity. The palate is very creamy, delicate and persistent. I could describe it as a wine full of sensations. Limited production of 2000 bottles of 75 cl. Mas Vicenç elaborated an aged white wine inspired by the sensitivity of the flower dandelion and based on the quality of the selected grapes. It is perfect for wine lovers who decide to discover a complete wine to enjoy in a calmed atmosphere. Well done!

Sometimes, and sometimes way to often, I manage to find a wine that checks all the boxes. One I haven’t heard about previously and as such not tried before. One that is tasty, one that is affordable, one that is white, one that has a really nice label and one that is from Catalonia, well, the last tick is frequently the case. At least during the last few years.

Having started a chapter, in Barcelona, of a non-profit wine club that originated in Sweden in the 1950ies, I have plenty of opportunities to try wines from countries all around the world. It is the within the statues of the club, to educated oneself and the members, and to do so in a way that promotes wine in a sensible manner. The additional bonus is my work, which is wine travel. Since my company is based in Catalonia, it is not strange that I have to try lots of Catalan wine, and I enjoy that part of my day to day, very much! Now that is what I call the SweetEasy Lifestyle!

After a full day of adventures, winery visits, cultural explorations and sometimes even a Segway tour it feels like luxury to sit down for a proper dinner together with friends. Even though every winery visit and every professional tasting is looked forward to, because they all share their dreams and visions with me, I need the down time. Now, it really varies what that can consist of. A good book in front of the fireplace, with a glass of Port. Movie time, classic black and white, with a glass of tasty Priorat or simply a five course meal with some like minded wine lovers and a few glasses of some new wines.

The important thing is to feel that one doesn’t have to work constantly. The wineries I visit are found in different ways. Recommendations are received all the time, sometimes bad but mostly really good and some of the gems I have found come through such channels. Internet search, of course. Way impersonal but work is work! Fairs off course, personal but a little bit stressed feel to it. Restaurant visits, check the wine list and make sure you don’t pick a wine you have had before and preferably from a denomination of origin whit less wines tasted in the notebook.

So, this wine was tasted for the first time at a really nice restaurant in Tarragona after a full day of activities!

Whoops, long intro to lead to Mas Vicenç Celler. The cellar of Mas Vicenç is located at the North of Alt Camp in the D.O. of Tarragona. Here the Mediterranean weather provides highly favorable conditions for growing vineyards.

Vicenç Ferré bought a traditional Catalan house in 1953 which was named afterwards as Mas Vicenç. Since then, four generations have already passed through the vineyards, each of which have taken on important roles in the cultivation and winemaking.

In modern time, more effort has been put into the winery, even though the heritage form the basis set in the history of the company. By 2005 it was the older son of the fifth generation, the also named Vicenç Ferré, that took over the rains. His studies and experience in the region of Priorat and the South-east of France cultivated a passion towards the wines that was later transformed to the project of Mas Vicenç. Young, enthusiastic and passionate family feel to the place, and that shows in the wines.

Vicenç Ferré Morató was born in Tarragona and grew up in Cabra del Camp. He is the son of a family dedicated to the vineyard’s cultivation and he learned what is required to look after the vineyards. In 1999, Vicenç began his specialised studies at the School of Enology in Falset, Priorat. During his studies, he worked at the Cooperative of Falset-Marçà (D.O.Montsant), the winery Fuentes (D.O. Priorat) and Concavins (D.O.Conca de Barberà).

Once the academic course of enology ended, his professional life continued in France. For a duration of nine months, Vicenç was working in Chateneuf du Pape next to the revolutionary and well-known winemaker Michel Tardieu. In May of 2004, at the age of twenty-one, the young winemaker began to lead the prestigious winery and vineyards of Bodegas Mas Alta in the region Priorat. A year later, he decided to combine the management of Bodegas Mas Alta with the start of his own project, Mas Vicenç in Cabra del Camp.

In 2009, Vicenç decided to leave the project in Priorat to concentrate solely on his winery, where he develops his creativity and applies his experience. Nowadays, Vicenç manages the family company Mas Vicenç being in charge of the technical and commercial departments.

In total the production consists of three whites, three reds and one olive oil. A lot of wine producers find their style, both when it comes to the actual wine but also when it comes to the design of the labels. Creating identity that is easily recognizable is the key. Mas Vicenc has chosen an alternative approach. Just by looking at the labeling it is not easy to conclusively say that all the wines come form the same winery. Tasting the wines just enhances the first impression. Good or bad? I’d say, different! And for me, different is good!

64 to go!

Catalan Wine 365 and SweetEasy Wine Tours

Celler Vendrell Rived, Always look on the bright side of life in D.O. Montsant

323/365 – Catalonia – D.O. Montsant – Marça – Celler Vendrell Rived – Serè 2011

Always look on the bright side of life………,

Serè 2011, 80% Garnacha and 20% Carignena

Lovely cherry red color with violet edges. The youth is showing. Plenty of fine and dark tears. It has a fresh and expressive nose of blackberry, ripe dark cherry, mature fig and a slight hint of gingerbread, spicy notes. Smooth entry, friendly step with subtle but tasty red fruit nuances. The finish is offering some mineral expressions. Fruity aftertaste with white pepper corns coming through as a pick me up. A easy wine to drink but certainly it has character. I would like this with a red meat barbeque!

The grapes used, Garnacha and Carignena, have been harvested from vines between 10 and 40 years of age. They are grown on altitudes between 250 and 300 meters in the municipalities of Marca and Capçanes, in the D.O. Montsant. The farming methods applied are organic and even though some minerality is noticed, the wines has been rounded of in a very attractive way, having spent 4 – 6 months on French oak.

The small winery of Vendrell Rived is currently producing two red wines, the Serè and L’Alleu, the latter having a higher percentage of Carignena. The total production over the year is around 26,000 bottles. The Montsant appellation, in its current shape, was formed in 2001, one of the younger D.O:s. The Vendrell Rived winery was up and running only a year before that, in 2000 Josep M. Vendrell decided to take advantage of the riches the family possessed. The old vines; the vines that have belonged to the family since the time of their grandparents’.

“We believe that in a global environment we must produce different wines from the ones you can find everywhere, wines that stand out because they are unusual. 10 years of experience answer for us: the varieties our ancestors planted still are the ones that best fit our terrain and they produce high expression wines. That is Vendrell Rived Winery philosophy: preserve our heritage, the one that comes from our territory to create high quality products with outstanding personality.” 

 

67 to go!

Catalan Wine 365 and SweetEasy Wine Tours

 

Pins Vers, Magic Carpet Ride in DOQ Priorat

322/365 – Catalonia – DOQ Priorat – El Molar – Celler dels Pins Vers – La Fuina 2004

Magic Carpet Ride……,

……, Well, you don’t know what we can find. Why don’t you come with me little girl……, On a magic carpet ride into the magic of Priorat. Yeah, this is the place to be and if you have never experienced the excellence of this appellation, you should try and get a bottle of red from Priorat and see where it takes you. Maybe on a Magic carpet Ride? Once again, join me and explore yet another small winery!

La Fuina 2004, Cabernet Sauvignon 45%; Garnacha Negra 35% and Cariñena 20%

A superb wine from start to finish, a Priorat wine very much to my taste. Rich deep purple color, opaque. Plenty of mature dark cherry, satiny nose with weight. Slightly earthy. Nice coffee aromas and some truffles. Great tannic structure. Powerful body, very long after taste, leaving a mouthful. Besides spices, there’s dried apricots and shortbread. Good attack and persistence. Celler dels Pins Vers is located in the village El Molar, founded in the year 2002 by 5 people closely bound to the Priorat wine world. Four of the members have family ties to this area and are dedicated to the wine-growing sector and the fifth member is an oenologist, working as an oenologist in the area since 1998. “Pins Vers” means Pine-Tree (Pinus pinea), conifer from the pinacies family, which are distinguished by having a round top and an oval pine-cone which gives eatable fruits called pine-nuts.

The climate is Mediterranean with certain tendency to continental nature, dry summers and practically absent rainfalls. The property vineyards are of schist soil (named llicorella in the Priorat region) and coaluvial stony soils; sedimentary soils, formed with a mixture of calcareous materials, river pebbles and eroded slate. The varieties Carignan and red Grenache grow on llicorella soils; Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah are cultivated on a sedimentary soil with mixture of llicorella and calcareous materials.

The old Carignan vines are grafted in Rupestris de Lot; red Grenache with R-110 and Cabernet Sauvignon with R-110 and 161-49 root-stocks. Carignan vines are more than 50 years old while Grenache and cabernet vines are from 15 to 25 years old. The Plots have small surfaces and the vines are planted in wide terraces or on slopes called “costers”. Some 20% of Carignan vines are cultivated according the traditional method and there is no trellis system, the vines grow as bush vines. With the other 80% grapevines, a vertical shoot positioning trellis system is being used. The vines are pruned in a bilateral cordon, reaching to a vegetation height in the trained vine of 90 cm.

The grapes are weight in the boxes before being deposited into the de-stemming machine, afterwards, the pomace is pumped to the fermentation tanks. Selected yeast are added and alcoholic fermentation starts, it lasts 10 or 15 days according to variety and vintage. The must and peels soaking lasts between 20 and 35 days. Finally, the wine is racked and the paste is pressed. Spontaneous malolactic fermentation takes place and it lasts approximately one month. During winter, and in a natural way, the tartaric stabilization occurs. In February, French oak barrels are filled and the wine is being aged during 12 months. The wine is bottled in April and is kept for reduced ageing in the bottle during 8 months up to a year before labeling.

La Fuïna is the name of one plot in El Molar village. La Fuïna (fouine in French, marten in English, garduña in Spanish and also fagina in Catalan) is a small mammal belonging to the family of mink and marten (Martes foina), that weights between 850 and 1700 grams and that measures 0,5 meters with a long tail which nearly doubles his body length. It is distinguished from Marta (Martes martes) by a spot on the front throat part. Its habitat is spacious, it prefers the mountain but it can also be seen near inhabited areas, while Marta is much more restricted to the Pyrenees area. Fuina prays on small mammals, birds, eggs, but it also eats  fruit and honey. It is a very silent animal with corpuscular habits; it is difficult to find it in its natural habitat.

La Fuina 2006, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon: 40 % Red Grenache: 20 % Carignan (Samsó)

Cherry colour with slight purple hue. Aromas of truffles and ripe fruit, blackberry jam and plums. The secondary aromas offer spices and pepper, oxygenating the wine adds a few more touches of toasted hazelnut and minerals. On the palate the wine has a good attack and a tannin complexity, persistent, which fills the mouth forming a structured and balanced wine.

68 to go!

Catalan Wine 365 and SweetEasy Wine Tours

 

 

Single Estate Torres, “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” in D.O Penedes

321/365 – Catalonia – D.O. Penedes – Santa Margarida d’Agulladolç – Torres – Miguel Torres Reserva Real 2007

“Mercy, Mercy, Mercy”……..,

Miguel Torres Reserva Real 2007, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot

I wouldn’t normally write about this kind of wine. Pricy, from a huge producer and in my very humble opinion a very pretentious wine…….., but! If offered and I don’t have to pay, I’d have to say, I would gladly drink it, enjoy it and why not mention it!?! Is it really that pretentious? Would I pay the dough? Honestly, both yes and no to both questions. As you all know by now, my style is more to the, if not cheap, at least very price worthy, accessible and from a small producer if possible. If you get a chance to try this wine, what ever you do, don’t say no!

In its style it is so very French and that alone would make me say no! But…….., again, what a useful word that is! Look beyond the fact that it is created from the best Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot grapes from the small vineyards of Torres in Agulladolç, which is also home to a beautiful 11th century Romanesque hermitage, and as such makes it a Single Estate wine. After 18 months in new French oak barrels, and thanks to the great quality of the tannins in this wine is has so much more than just the French blend to offer. Elevated and huge, the amount of sun and fruit in this wine is something that was achieved in Catalonia and not in France. Now, I am just waiting for a Francofile to tell me that I must be joking, in all aspects! 

A beauty of a wine, intense cherry color. The nose is filled with black plum, aromatic coffee, spices, cocoa, sandalwood and a mix of moist grass and a highly concentrated fruit coulis. The palate is huge but perfectly balanced, with rich flavors of tobacco, blackberry and cassis. A complex, round and elegant mouth. The blend is straight from Bordeaux but everything else screams Catalonia. Pure, long, smooth and easy in terms of tannic bite, with good aging potential. Could easily stand another 6 – 8 years in the bottle. Mercy, Mercy Mercy……..

69 to go!

Catalan Wine 365 and SweetEasy Wine Tours

 

Singular Wine by Cal Batlle and Celler Mas Candi, The Way of the Future in D.O. Penedes

320/365 – Catalonia –D.O. Penedes – Viticulture by Cal Batlle & Elaboration by Mas Candi – El Vesper de la Gloriosa 2013

The Way of the Future……,

El Vesper de la Gloriosa 2013, 50% Xarel.lo and 50% Macabeu

This is NOT a Cava,this is a Sparkling wine produced using the “Ancestral Method”. Pale yellow color with soft green iridescence, constant bubbles and a fine steady flow. On the nose there are aromas of white fruit (pear), hints of citrus (lemon) which provides a very refreshing background. Some creamy notes of pastries, brioche, soft nuts (almonds), presence of yeast with hints of warm bread and croissant, a touch of herbs. Pleasant coolness during its entry, tasty overall presence with fresh and ripe white fruit, light touch of a bitter taste, dried fruit notes, good acidity, spacious, light creaminess. Refreshing sparkly. Long and a aftertaste of white fruit and some citrus.

Ancestral;

adj.

1.

pertaining to ancestors; descending or claimed from ancestors:

an ancestral home.

2.

serving as a forerunner, prototype, or inspiration.

 

Ancient;

adj.

1. Of great age; very old.

2. Of or relating to times long past, especially those of the historical period before the fall of the Western Roman Empire (a.d. 476). See Synonyms at old.

3. Old-fashioned; antiquated.

4. Having the qualities associated with age, wisdom, or long use; venerable.

n.

1. A very old person.

2. A person who lived in times long past.

3. ancients

a. The peoples of the classical nations of antiquity.

b. The ancient Greek and Roman authors.

 

In addition to these definitions, the word(s) is/are used to name and define a type of natural sparkling wine, characterized by being produced by a single fermentation directly in the bottle. Too me, it represents one of the ways to make wine with minimal intervention, and I am happy to see that this production method has been reclaimed. The method is the “Ancestral Method” but I lay claim to it being Ancient as well, hence I use both definitions above!

The ancient fermentation method creates a spontaneous fermentation and uses no added sugar, nor tirage or expedition liqueur. Only sugar from the grapes is to be fermented. There’s no disgorging deposits, or if there is, it is the bare minimum, that is left in the bottle and the appearance can be a bit murky.

– The process would be:
o develop the base wine (still wine) using classic fermenting techniques and of course this depends on the process of each winery.
o make the cuvée, with the residual sugar still present, and the wine still being “still wine”. The fermentation and maturation of the base wine and the cuvée continues in the same bottle without added sugars, tirage/expedition.

Having explained all of the above, El Vesper de la Gloriosa is a natural sparkling wine, made using the ancestral method with yeasts. This is a wine made through cooperation of two great wine entities, Viticulture by Cal Batlle & Elaboration by Mas Candi, with the aim of creating a sparkling wine that breaks the current cliches, and which is not indifferent to the consumer. It is a blend of Macabeo and Xarel·lo, planted in the early 50’s. To keep up the purity of the grape, they have opted to use the ancient method, fermented with autochthonous yeast from the same vineyard, adding no sulfur in its preparation. This sparkling wants to be a recognition to the history of the property, specifically recognizing the time of the Civil War, in which part of the property was occupied by a Republican airfield, called the “Vesper de la Gloriosa”.

71 to go!

Catalan Wine 365 and SweetEasy Wine Tours

Let’s go Organic with Albet I Noya, Evidence in D.O Penedes

319/365 – Catalonia – D.O. Penedes – Sant Pau d’Ordal – Albet I Noya – La MiLana 2011

Evidence……..,

La MiLana 2011, Caladoc, Ull de Llebre (Tempranillo), Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Dark garnet color, bright with high layers. The primary aromas are those of new wood, they clearly stand out. Once aerated, lots of ripe fruit (red and black) shows their presence. Toasty but well integrated. Mineral notes and hints of vanilla. The palate has a very powerful attack, full-bodied and sweet. Very well integrated tannins. Roasted notes are very present in the mouth as well. Long and persistent. Nice one! The variety Caladoc was created by grape breeder Paul Truel in 1958. The grape is a crossing between Grenache and Malbec that Truel created with the aim of having a vine that could grow in southern France that was less prone to coulure than either of its parents.

La Milana vineyard are 11 terraces that make up 7 ha. around the Can Milà de la Roca farmhouse. 150 years ago this land was farmed directly by Mr Milà’s wife and hence became known as La Milana. The blend of the four varieties is the same proportion as the makeup of the vienyards, making this a true single vineyard wine. Perhaps this is what gives it such harmony and a clear expression of place. Hand picking with a vineyard selection is followed by a triage grape by grape after destemming. The winemaking process is centred on the utmost respect for the fruit of these vineyards..

The Can Vendrell modernist cellar of Albet I Noya was built in 1925 and houses the principal vinification processes. The Xapallà cellar next door was finished in August 2004 and houses the temperature-controlled warehouse, the barrel hall and a new bottling plant. The new gravity-based l’Era cellar was opened in 2010 to produce the Albet I Noya top wines separately.

Organic wine is largely wine from organically grown grapes, but the regulations primarily limit the quantity of sulphur dioxide that can be used, approximately half the levels permitted in a conventional cellar. This means that the Can Vendrell cellar is required to maintain a level of hygiene far superior to that of a conventional cellar. Nonetheless, once more we can see that the key to making great wines lies in the quality of the raw materials: the grapes. Albet i Noya continue to research new methods and grape varieties. They are currently experimenting with seven pre-phylloxera grape varieties with 500 vines of each type. They have looked for varieties that had survived naturally in the wild, indicating a high natural resistance to diseases. They are looking for both sensorial and ecological qualities in these vines. Early results indicate two varieties with considerable possibilities. They also work with Incavi (The Catalan institute of Vines and Wine), to select authoctonous varieties that have greater resistance to parasites whilst producing quality fruit.

By working only with grapes in optimum sanitary conditions, Albet i Noya are able to work largely without using SO2. They use authoctonous yeasts from the Albet i Noya vineyards, selected from the Xarel·lo variety and they are working in the selection of other yeasts for the remaining varieties. The fermenting vats have an inert gas system (a mix of nitrogen and CO2) to prevent potential alterations in the wine. Once again, the emphasis is on prevention rather than cure: as the wine cannot be chemically corrected, the hygiene of the cellar is key to avoiding disappointments. The cellar equipment is cleaned using high pressure hot water (up to 90°C) instead of chemical products.

Of the 145 hectares they control, 80.5 are given over exclusively to the cultivation of vines. The estate vines cover the western slopes of the Ordal mountain range known as “Costers d’Ordal”, following the curves of the terrain in stepped terraces or on slopes exposed to the midday sun. As in all good wine-growing land, the soil in Can Vendrell has low organic content, with a variable content of clay and sand on a bed of calcareous stone, a permeable base with good moisture retention. Leaving aside for a moment the suitability of the land for wine growing, there are other factors which intervene in the selection of the most suitable vines for cultivation, such as the lie of the land, the hours of sun, the humidity and altitude of the terrain.

The white varieties are Chardonnay (1.1ha) Macabeu (9.7ha), Xarel·lo (19.1ha), Parellada (10.5ha), Moscatell (0.4ha), Viogner (1.5ha), Sauvignon Blanc (0.3ha), Riesling (1.5ha), Garnatxa Blanca (0.2ha) and 4 experimental varieties (0.8ha). The red varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon (10ha), Tempranillo o Ull de llebre (8.3ha), Merlot (5.4ha), Syrah (6ha), Garnatxa negre (2.2ha), Pinot Noir (2.9ha), and 6 experimental varieties (0.8ha). Whilst the Xarel·lo, Macabeu and Parellada are the varieties traditionally planted in the Penedès region, the others had been lost at the end of the 19th century with the Phylloxera crisis and the growth of Cava, until their reintroduction to Can Vendrell by the Albet family in the early eighties.

Josep M. i Toni Albet i Noya, started a ambitious project in 1998 collecting 7 lost grapes varieties. The aim of the project is to test seven ancient grape varieties, both from a point of view of vineyard management and of winemaking potential. The grape varieties have been recovered from old and abandoned vineyards, including one found in Albet i Noya’s estate. The search for old varieties has been so successful that they have extended it to a second phase of the project with seven more varieties that started in 2012 and will last until 2020.

The belief is that some of these varieties date from before the phylloxera plague. When Phylloxera hit Europe’s vineyards, the price of grapes and wine in the Penedès went sky high. As a result a lot of the less productive varieties were abandoned in favor of higher yielding ones. In the Penedès it is believed there were some 30 varieties more than are currently cultivated. As we now know, which often is the case, these lower yielding plants produce more concentrated fruit, these could be excellent candidate for winemaking.

Once the seven varieties (four whites and three reds) were selected, they grafted 500 vines of each, 250 with vigorous rootstock (Richter 110) and the other half with a less vigorous strain (41-B). The idea is to pick and vinify each strain separately. The wines are made in a small cellar, specifically designed for micro-vinifications with small 500 litre tanks, but all the technological advances of the main cellar.

To make the project as parcipitative as possible, and to get a feel for the real potential of these varieties, every year they send samples of the wines to 165 people in 24 countries: importers, distributors, sommeliers, wine critics, renowned winemakers, as well as the Consell Regulador de la DO. Penedès and the Institut Català de la Vinya i el Vi (INCAVI). The participants then return their tasting notes and impressions of each wine.

With this feedback, and their own internal data over five years, they decide which of the varieties have the potential to be planted more extensively to produce wine on a commercial scale. To date they can announce that after the fifth vintage in 2006, they finished the first phase of the project with two white varieties (Marina Rión and Vidal) and one red (Belat) that show both excellent quality and good farming potential. They plan to plant a hectare of each and officially request their approval by the Denominació d’Origen Penedès.

In the coming years they will work to encourage the official organisms to accelerate the process of approving these three autochthonous varieties that they consider to be important to the future of the Penedès region.

 

72 to go!

Catalan Wine 365 and SweetEasy Wine Tours

 

Celler Coma d’en Bonet, The Unclouded Day in D.O. Terra Alta

318/365 – Catalonia – D.O. Terra Alta – Gandesa – Celler Coma d’en Bonet – Dardell White 2012

The Unclouded Day………,

Dardell White 2012, 90% Garnatxa Blanca from Coma d’en Bonet  and 10% Viognier from Serra de Castellnou 

This is a wine which reflects typicality and authenticity of Terra Alta’s White Grenache. A young white wine with a bright pale yellow/green hue. The must is fermented at a controlled temperature, resulting in a fruity and aromatic wine with a powerful suggestion of tropical fruit (pineapple, banana, pear) and some lychee. Lingering hints of scrubland herbs and white rose. Fruity flavours and delicious taste, coated with a nice power and sensation of structure which can be perceived and enjoyed in this wine. Decanting of the first fractions of the juice at 13 ° C during 24 hours, fermenting 25 days at 14 º C. Blended in December ’12. Clarified with bentonite, then filtered and cold stabilized. Bottled in January 2013.

The winery of Coma d’en Bonet in the small Terra Alta town of Gandesa, decided early to adhere to organic wine making. One that is made from grapes produced by using ecological agriculture, all grapes used come from vineyards grown without chemical fertilizers or synthetic pesticides (fungicide, insecticide or herbicide), and therefore no residues of these substances are influencing the final product.

They use only organic fertilizers and natural minerals. All the vineyards are cultivated according to the guidelines of organic farming and under control of the CCPAE (Catalan Council of Ecological Agricultural Production). This certification ensures that products always have been prepared following the rules of organic farming, which have been controlled in the entire process of PRODUCTION, PROCESSING and PACKAGING.

73 to go!

Catalan Wine 365 and SweetEasy Wine Tours

 

Cal Cabo Celler, Buttercup in D.O. Costers del Segre

317/365 – Catalonia – D.O. Costers del Segre – Sant Martí de Maldà – Cal Cabo Celler – Curvus 2010

Buttercup……..,

Curvus 2010, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Ull de Llebre

Cherry red to ruby with a mahogany rim, medium-high layer and tinted tears with a slow flow. The aroma appears as tertiary notes, cigar box, cedar, moist mushrooms. A nice scent of nutmeg, clear earthy character and a background of candied ripe fruit. Easy entry, smooth and elegant presence of tannins. Powerful finish with an aftertaste of vegetables and spices, sweet black pepper and leafs. A well elaborated wine, nice coupatge. The varieties have been separately aged in French, American and Hungarian oak barrels over a 10 month period. After blending it has spent another 3 months to rest in tanks.

Cal Cabo is a very small family winery that produces wines covered by the appellation of Costers del Segre, and extra virgin olive oil under the name of Mas de Sant Pere. Rosa Maria Bisa Felip is responsible for this project which started in 2009. During 2010 they bottled and started selling their first vintage. Earlier, like in many small wineries, her father had made ​​wine for home consumption using the grapes from the vineyards of the family. The cellar is located in Sant Martí de Maldà, a town that is part of the municipality of Sant Martí de Riucorb and situated along the Cistercian Route . It is a journey that follows the outline of the Cistercian monasteries of Santes Creus, Poblet and Vallbona, located in the Alt Camp, Conca de Barbera and Urgell, respectively. The vineyards and olive growths that cover some 13 hectares are irrigated by the river Corb, hence, today’s wine and one of the wines produced is named Curvus.

 

This is indeed a small winery with a limited production of only 3,000 bottles per year, for which they only use a portion of their grapes, the rest is sold to other producers. They work with the red varieties Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo (Ull de Llebre), from which they obtain three wines: the aforementioned Curvus, which is a red wine, a pink and a red, both named 1-11, in memory of the contribution of grapes that valley residents historically had to make their lord. To visit you have to call ahead, as they only receive pre booked groups and in limited numbers. During a the winery tour you can taste their products in a small tasting room; there is also the possibility to have breakfast or alfresco dining should the weather allow. Well worth the trip if you like small, familiar wineries!

74 to go!

Catalan Wine 365 and SweetEasy Wine Tours