The pale, aromatic and elegant red 2021 La Florens has great purity, floral aromas and the best Garnacha perfume. It has a serious and austere palate with a fine thread, tight and balance, with very fine, elegant tannins. But it doesn’t lack power or clout and comes in at 14.6% alcohol that is unnoticeable. It comes from two old plots on limestone soils and fermented in raw concrete with indigenous yeasts for 25 days with a soft daily pump-over. It matured in oval 2,500-liter Stockinger foudre for nine months. It is harmonious, balanced, elegant and characterful. It was bottled in June 2022.
The village red from Gratallops, the 2022 Pedrabona is a 50/50 blend of Garnacha and Cariñena and is surprisingly floral and elegant, with moderate alcohol (the minimum 13.5% required by the appellation). It was produced with grapes from four vineyards in the village—Manyetes, Planassos, Vinyals and Aubada—that were hand-harvested and fermented with indigenous yeasts in troncoconic Stockinger foudres and some open-top barrels. The best Garnacha matured in 870-liter foudre and the rest in French oak barrels for nine months. It has a light and elegant profile, transcending the character of the year, with balance and very good integration of the varieties and the components, coming through as seamless and pure. 8,230 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2023.
The pale and delicate 2022 El Pas de l’Estudiant red comes from a plot of the same name, a slope located in the village of Capçanes, at 450 meters in altitude and with limestone soils. It was planted in 1947 with a field blend of approximately 90% Garnacha Peluda, 7% Cariñena and 3% Garnacha Blanca. On the palate, it has more power and energy, plenty of fine-grained but abundant tannins, a dusty and chalky sensation and some rustic earthiness—could it be the Garnacha Peluda? It fermented and matured in a 2,500-liter Stockinger foudre. This might need a little bit more time in bottle and/or powerful food. It’s powerful and ripe without excess at 14.5% alcohol while keeping the freshness, balance and acidity. This comes from the 1.8 hectares that survived, as it was abandoned and Grau is in the process of restoring it to its original size of four hectares. 3,305 bottles were filled in July 2023.
The white village wine from Gratallops in Priorat, the 2022 Carenes is eminently Mediterranean and spicy, with notes of dry flowers, pollen and beeswax. It comes from one of the few old white vineyards that have survived, a 120-year-old plot in the zone known as Planassos that is planted with the three varieties—Garnacha Blanca, Macabeo and the rare Trepat Blanc—on slate soils. The Garnacha fermented and matured in an 870-liter Stockinger foudre, while the Macabeo and Trepat Blanc fermented in barrel, where the wines matured for eight months, after which time they were blended. It has 13.3% alcohol and good freshness and acidity, remarkable for the vintage, and it has a savory twist that makes me think of chicken broth, very umami, with a long, dry finish. This should age nicely in bottle. 1,450 bottles were filled in June 2023.
The varietal Garnacha Blanca 2022 Granit keeps the waxy aromas of the grape and the mineral salinity of the soils that name the wine. The juice from the pressing of the full clusters fermented in a 2,000-liter oak foudre, where it matured for seven months. It has good ripeness, 13.6% alcohol and keeps a pH of 3.33 with five grams of acidity in this warmer year. It has volume and a juicy texture and finishes very tasty and long. This is a triumph over the conditions of the year. 8,023 bottles produced. It was bottled in April 2023.
Simply amazing, a complete surprise: this wine is full of delicacy and floral complexity, with nice supporting fruit that provides a lovely aromatic background. The mouthfeel is suave and delicate, with a perfumed fruit expression – deceivingly restrained but very persistent. The real wine, quite densely structured, shows itself little by little, offering a multilayered finish and leaving a nice memory of its touch. An artist’s wine: joyous.
Witness the beauty of Garnacha fruit in a very young and fresh style. It’s not made to last but gives lots of enjoyment now. Red cherries and berries, floral notes, a touch of caramel – great pleasure on the nose. On the palate, it is suave, round and quite velvety. Just pleasure, with no further complications. Lovely, but drink it as soon as possible; there is nothing in this wine that will improve that lovely fruit.
Varietal Garnacha from across two vineyard sites, with an average age of 90 years. Stunning. Ripe cherry and strawberry fruit, anis, white pepper, sappy herbs and perfectly integrated oak. Incredibly fine tannin settles, allowing the zesty acidity to animate the fresh flavours on
the palate. Utterly transparent and with such energy. This is one of the best Garnachas in the region and an absolute bargain. 2022-2032
A very original expression of the autochthonous Garnacha Blanca from the area, this has a complex and quite precise aromatic definition, very fresh in lime and lemon notes, with some hints of mango and tropical fruit. The wine is remarkably fresh and balanced in the mouth, with a joyful expression, quite genuine and long. Josep Grau is a producer with a particualr gift for white wines.
A field blend of mostly Garnacha Peluda, Carinyena and Garnacha Blanca. Subtle, earthy and structured, with a herbal, savoury character to complement the red fruits. Very young and alive on the palate, where the flavours brighten and last well into the finish. Understated and
absolutely lovely. 2022-2032
Old-vine Garnacha Blanca, Macabeu and Trepat Blanc from a single hectare around Gratallops, with vines up to 120 years old. Well defined orchard fruits, chamomile, beeswax and a touch of almonds. Direct, creamy and yet very persistent with it. Rounded and weighty in the most delicious way. 2022-2028
50 year old Garnacha Blanca, fermented and aged in 2000L stockinger foudres. This is a step up from the Vespres, with a delicate, endearing note of tarragon to complement the ripe stone and orchard fruits. Chalky, textured and with just the right amount of Garnacha “fat” on the palate. 2022-2030
Notes of wet stones and grilled herbs to the wild strawberries and red berry characters. Juicy, pinot-esque and linear on the palate with chalky tannins and a fresh, tangy finish. Some fine minerality and white pepper at the end. Intricate, elegant and pristinely long. Delicious now, but can hold, too.