Espelt - Pla de Gates Red 2021
Price: $30.99
Sale Price: $17.99
Beautiful, isn't it? This is Cap de Creus, a peninsula in northeastern Spain. I fell in love when I first visited in 2014. Staying in the fishing village of Port de la Selva, my family explored an old monastery, hiked in the hills, visited Salvador Dali's home and ate and drank. And ate. And drank. You get the picture.
Throughout the region, there are remnants of long-forgotten vineyards. I kept wondering why they were abandoned? Was it because they just weren't a good place to grow grapes? As we drove across the border into France, a mere 15 miles away, that notion was disproved as the barren hills of Catalonia gave way to an endless vista of vines. Hmmm...
Native winemaker Anna Espelt had the same questions. As the head of her family's large winery 20 minutes inland, Anna was uniquely positioned to explore the answers. She cobbled together 25 hectares of vineyards and began revitalizing them. This is her first red!
Surrounded on three sides by the Mediterranean, the vineyards are subject to constant winds. Anna looked for a grape that could withstand the winds and also express the minerality and salinity of the Cap de Creus. Grenache was the obvious choice. Known throughout Spain as Garnacha and locally as Lledoner, Grenache has its origins in the region. No wonder it is uniquely suited for the job!
For the wine, grapes are hand-harvested and undergo two selections before fermentation. The grapes are partially destemmed before undergoing natural fermentation in open-topped oak vats. Nine months in large oak barrels and foudres rounds out the wine.
This is a uniquely mineral-driven Garnacha, full of vibrant acid and that hint of sea-spray salinity that boost the herbal components and offers a different fruit palette than I normally expect. Here, the fruit seems more buoyant, with a brightness and zip that makes for something simultaneously deeply engrossing and wonderfully casual- perfect as an after-work sipper or as an accompaniment to light dinners. Grab it while you can!
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