LaRural Sumoll 2022

LaRural works around Santes Creus in the province of Tarragona, in Catalonia, where Cistercian monks established vineyards in the twelfth century. This wine is made from Sumoll, an old and increasingly rare local variety that gives pale colour, high acidity and red fruit at low alcohol, here just 11.5 percent. Farming is natural, organic and vegan, and the wine is aged for eight months in clay vessels. The clay allows slow oxygen exchange without adding any wood flavour, which keeps the wine fresh and lets the grape and the soil speak clearly, while gently rounding the naturally high acidity. The colour is light ruby with a translucent rim. The nose shows red berries, cherry and rhubarb with red currant, dried herbs and a touch of white flowers. The palate is light bodied and bright, with crisp acidity, fine light tannins and an earthy, savoury finish. This is a red that can be served slightly cool, around 14 to 16 degrees, and it does not need decanting. Pour it with charcuterie, roast chicken, mushroom dishes and lighter vegetable plates.