Castell D’Encús Quest 2018

Quest is a red from Castell d'Encus in D.O. Costers del Segre, a high-altitude estate in Pallars Jussa in the Catalan Pyrenees. It blends Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot, a classic Bordeaux quartet grown here at 900 metres in the municipality of Talarn. At that height the growing season is cool and the nights are cold, which slows ripening, holds acidity and gives the wine its fresh, herbal character and firm structure, while harvest is done by hand into small 10-kilogram crates. Fermentation runs in stone vats cut into the rock in the 12th century, using the native yeasts on the grapes, an old method that lends a savoury, mineral depth. The wine is then aged 17 months in oak, where slow oxygen exchange settles the tannins and adds measured spice. It is deep ruby, with blackcurrant, plum and red currant over black pepper, a cool eucalyptus and herbal lift, earth and vanilla. The palate is full and structured, with firm fine-grained tannins, bright acidity and a long savoury finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees, decanted an hour ahead, with roast lamb or grilled beef.