A different blend and a different vintage, showing some reduction, a touch of sweet oak, medium weight tannins and refreshing acidity. Once more, I’d like more fruit and weight on the palate.
Celler Petit Emporda Tasting
13 September 20132009 Terra Remota, Clos Adrien, Empordà , EmpordÃ
( €40 , 15% )A rich, slightly figgy blend of Syrah and Grenache with spicy oak, firm tannins and notes of rosemary and thyme. Rich and dense, with a slightly drying finish. The alcohol is a little marked on the finish.
2012 Terra Remota, Caminito, EmpordÃ
( €12, 13.5% )Blending Garnatxa and Syrah and aged for six months in oak, this is an ambitious rosado with good concentration and notes of red fruits and wild herbs. Subtle wild strawberry fruit, a nip of tannin and fresh acidity. Slightly pricey.
2007 Mas Llunes, Rhodes, Empordà , EmpordÃ
( €9 , 14.5% )Named after the Roman term for Roses, this is a rich, profoundly coloured blend of Cariñena and Syrah. Chewy, concentrated and showing some oak, this is a little dry, but has enough fruit sweetness for balance. A little rustic.
2011 Espelt Viticultors,Terres Negres, Empordà , EmpordÃ
( €11, 14% )Pure Cariñena from a winery that combines the best of traditional and modern philosophies, producing wines with integrity. A rich, lightly-oaked, stylish red that shows the grape variety at its best with plum and sweet, figgy fruit and good minearlity and freshness.
2009 Vinyes d’Olivardots, V.D.O 1/09 Samsó Pissarra, Empordà , EmpordÃ
( €35, 15% )As its name suggests, this is grown on slate soils. It’s a single vineyard Cariñena with impressive elegance and refreshing acidity to balance the high alcohol. Textured, spicy and very Mediterranean with notes of wild thyme and fennel.
2012 Martà Fabra, Lladoner, Empordà , EmpordÃ
( €5, 13% )Fresh, spicy, raspberry fruity rosado with good acidity and a little bit of residual sweetness. Rosehip and wild strawberry, with appealing freshness.
2008 Castillo Perelada , 5 Fincas, Empordà , EmpordÃ
( €12, 14% )A blend of Garnatxa, Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon that flirts with high volatile acidity and some green notes but still manages to work. Serious tannins, slightly dry, with capsicum and blackcurrant flavours.
2010 Roig Parals, Camà de Cormes, Empordà , EmpordÃ
( €20, 15% )The top wine from Roig Parals, sourced from an old, low-yielding vineyard named after a Civil War escape route through the Pyrenees. With incense and wild herbs on the nose, this is like walking into a Catholic church during high mass. Dense and concentrated, with subtle oak, layer upon layer of wild, spicy , herbal flavours, medium-weight, tarry tannins and a sweet core of fruit sustained by refreshing acidity.
2009 Vinyes d’Olivardots, V.D.O 2/09 Samsó Sorra, Empordà , EmpordÃ
( €35, 15% )This is sourced from sandy soils, but it’s another single vineyard, old vine Cariñena. Richer, denser and more oxidative in style, this is figgy and slightly dry with a balsamic undertone. More tannic, too.
2012 Cooperatiu Agricola Garriguella, Gerisena Selecció, Emporda, EmpordÃ
( €11, 145% )Vibrant, youthful, aromatic blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Grenache with the emphasis on juicy fruit flavours of red cherry and plum rather than oak. The wine carries its alcohol with ease, thanks to the fresh acidity here.
2009 Castillo Perelada, Finca Espolla, Empordà , EmpordÃ
( €14, 14% )Combining Syrah and Monastrella (Mourvèdre), this is made in a modern style. There’s a marked minty note on the nose and palate (almost eucalyptus) that adds another dimension to the spicy, blackberry fruit.