Jaspi 2022

Coca i Fitó, founded in 2006 at Masroig in Tarragona, makes Jaspi in D.O. Montsant, the appellation that rings the Priorat in inland Catalonia. The blend is led by Garnacha and Cariñena, the two traditional varieties of the region, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah filling out the structure, drawn from vines between ten and ninety years old across a range of properties and soils. Montsant's warm, dry climate and its mix of soils, including the licorella slate it shares with Priorat, ripen Garnacha and Cariñena to a deep, generous fruit, and the old vines among the parcels add concentration. Organic farming and a manual harvest into small fifteen-kilo crates keep the fruit in good condition. Three to four months in French and American oak settle the wine and add a light frame of spice and vanilla without taking over, the short ageing keeping the focus on ripe fruit. The colour is deep ruby. The nose shows dark plum and red berry with black pepper, liquorice and dried herbs over an earthy base, and the palate is full bodied and warming, with ripe, rounded tannins and a long, spiced finish. Serve at seventeen degrees. Good with roast lamb, grilled beef and stews.