Josep Grau Regina 2024

Regina is the rosé from Josep Grau, a former Barcelona stockbroker who built his estate in Montsant, the Catalan appellation that rings Priorat. The wine was inspired by the refined rosés of Champagne and is made to have character rather than simply to refresh. It blends Garnacha Tinta, the warm-climate red that drives the fruit, with a portion of Garnacha Blanca for freshness and aromatic lift. Montsant's hot, dry summers and varied soils give ripe Garnacha, and the wine is barrel aged for six months, which builds texture and a light creamy, faintly nutty note through slow contact with oak and lees while keeping the fruit in view. The result is a fuller pink, with strawberry and cherry fruit, white peach and a touch of citrus over a gentle vanilla and almond character from the wood. The palate is dry and rounded, the ripe fruit given weight and structure by the oak ageing, closing long and savoury. This is a rosé with the body to handle a meal. Serve at 9 to 11 degrees with roast pork, poultry and richer fish.