Esporreres 2021

Esporreres is made by Companyia Vitícola Sileo in Cornudella de Montsant, the minimal-intervention venture the Torelló family began in 2013 after a lifetime in the Penedès. The wine is built around Garnacha Tinta, a heat-loving variety well suited to the rugged Montsant, where vineyards sit on a mix of granite sand and the licorella schist soils that ring neighbouring Priorat. These poor, well-drained soils force the vines to root deep, restricting yields and concentrating flavour, while a warm Mediterranean climate pushes ripeness and alcohol to 14.5 percent. The wine is farmed organically and aged for twelve months in oak barrels, where slow oxygen exchange knits the tannins together and frames the fruit with spice and a touch of vanilla. The colour is deep garnet. The nose is concentrated, with dark plum and red fruit, black pepper, liquorice and dried herb. The palate is intense and powerful, full-bodied with ripe tannin, warming alcohol and a long, spiced, faintly chocolatey finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees, decanting to soften the structure. It suits grilled red meat and game.