Bàrbara Forés Coma d’En Pou 2022

Celler Barbara Fores works at Gandesa in Tarragona, near the Serra de Cavalls, in D.O. Terra Alta, the warm, windswept inland corner of Catalonia. Coma d'En Pou blends Garnacha Tinta with Garnacha Peluda, the hairy-leafed local mutation that retains freshness in heat, from vineyards on loamy soils planted between 350 and 600 metres. That altitude tempers the Mediterranean warmth with cool nights, holding acidity and aromatic lift in a ripe wine. After a manual harvest the fruit ferments for seventeen to twenty-two days in stainless steel at a controlled 22 to 26 degrees, a long maceration that draws colour and structure from the skins, followed by sixteen months in French oak that adds spice and rounds the tannin. The colour is deep cherry red. The nose shows ripe raspberry and plum, black pepper, wild thyme and the dried garrigue herbs typical of Terra Alta. The palate is full bodied and warm at fifteen per cent, with ripe tannin and a savoury, herb-edged finish. Serve at 17 degrees after a short decant. It suits grilled lamb and roast vegetables.