Edu de Batlle farms some of the most picturesque vines in Empordà . This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with some spicy Garnacha adding a layer of complexity. The wildness of the vineyard is there in the wine, too: feral, wind-blown, sun-baked. It’s high in alcohol, with a hint of volatility, but the wine is dense and complex with sweet, fig and ripe plum fruit.
Wine Type: Red
2010 Espelt Terres Negres, EmpordÃ
( E13, 14%, El Celler Petit )Espelt is the second biggest winery in Empordà after Perellada. This Carignan-dominated blend from old vines in Rabós is marked by volatility, but it works in a wild, herby Medieterranean sort of way. Medium bodied and fresh, with sweet red fruits, some liquorice, slightly baked fruit and a lifted finish.
2007 Castillo Perelada Finca La Garriga, EmpordÃ
( E19, 15%, El Celler Petit )Sweet, oaky, concentrated Samsó that still demonstrates the variety’s characteristic freshness and wildness. The oak is a little too obvious (some might call it seductive), but this is a big, dense, stylish, modern wine with notes of sweet Mediterranean herbs and Angostura bitters. Needs food. The volatility might be too high for some.
2007 Roig Parals Camà de Cormes, EmpordÃ
( E20, 15%, El Celler Petit )If you want to taste really old vine Samsó (and we’re talking 120 years here), try this. Dense, complex, minerally and wild with freshness to balance the concentration and high alcohol. This comes from the plain, but tastes like a mountain wine, with sweet red fruits, a touch of volatility and appealing minerality.
2008 Vinyes d'Olivardots 2.08, EmpordÃ
( E35, 15%, El Celler Petit )Sandy soils, low production, 100-year-old vines: essence of Samsó. Wow! Super dense, very complex, savoury, spicy, lovely fruit sweetness, fine tannins, subtle oak and a finish that lingers on the palate. Wild, Mediterranean herbs, some wood smoke, fresh acidity, liquorice and red and black fruits. A superb wine.
2008 Terra Remota Clos Adrien, EmpordÃ
( E40, 14.5%, El Celler Petit )Low-production, Syrah-based red with 10% Garnacha from one of the region’s outstanding producers. Herbal, still youthful nose, with sweet, savoury, liquorice and blackberry fruit, fresh acidity, medium weight tannins and a tarry smoky finish. Syrah, but with minerality underpinning the fruit. Complex and long.
2005 Castillo Perelada Finca Garbet, EmpordÃ
( E100, 14%, El Celler Petit )Unusually for Finca Garbet, this is made from 100% Syrah (normally it contains some Cabernet). It’s a very impressive wine: wild and smoky, with freshness and minerality, well integrated tannins and a long, balanced finish. Very Syrah, with notes of iodine and liquorice and a firm finish. The only question mark is over the price.
2009 Mas Vida 32 Merlot, EmpordÃ
( E11, 14.5%, El Celler Petit )Merlot from Empordà ? At 14.5%? It doesn’t sound promising. And yet this is a more than decent red showing the slight grassiness of the variety, even at higher alcohol levels. The finish is a little dry and hot, but there’s a freshness beneath it, with grainy tannins and textured, fruitcake notes.
2005 Sinols Emporadlia Coromina, EmpordÃ
( E9, 13.5%, El Celler Petit )An unusual wine: mature, unoaked Samsó (Carignan) that was fermented and aged in cement. It’s on the rustic side, with a hint of volatility, but there’s no denying that the wine is true to its varietal with chunky, slightly drying tannins but lots of gutsy personality.
2008 Oliveda Furot Crianza, EmpordÃ
( E6, 13%, El Celler Petit )Good, honest drinking Samsó from high altitude vineyards on slate soils. There’s a little bit of oak here, but it’s not remotely intrusive. The wine shows aromatic red fruits, fresh acidity and attractive raspberry and cherrystone notes. Try it chilled with a plate of tapas. I did.
2007 Mas Llunes Rhodes, EmpordÃ
( E11, 14.5%, El Celler Petit )A chunky, full-throated red made from Samsó and Syrah (sort of trips off the tongue, doesn’t it?) this is still on the young side. Aromatic, herbal and firm on the palate with tannins that really need protein to show at their best. Wait for the winter before you pull the cork.
2010 Clos d'Agon Amic, EmpordÃ
( E14, 14.5%, El Celler Petit )Rich, wild, slightly volatile notes on the nose, with sweet red and black fruits and a warm, palate-coating finish: it could only be Grenache. Or rather Garnatxa (along with Merlot, Cabernet and a few other things). Aromatic, very primary, with notes of liquorice and blackberry, smooth tannins and a long finish. Needs time.