Les Forques 2024

Ramon Jané Viticultor makes Les Forques in D.O. Penedès, the coastal Catalan zone inland from Barcelona where Mediterranean warmth meets cooling sea breezes and limestone-clay soils. The blend leads on Cabernet Sauvignon and brings in the Catalan natives Mandó, Monastrell and Sumoll, varieties that hold acidity and a savoury edge in a warm climate. Farming is organic and the wine is vegan. The grapes ferment and the wine then spends twelve months in French oak, where slow oxygen exchange through the staves softens the tannins and adds cedar and vanilla without masking the fruit. The result is a deep ruby red with aromas of black plum, red berries and dried herbs over a peppery, earthy base. The palate is structured and firm, with ripe but defined tannins, fresh acidity and a long finish carrying liquorice and a stony minerality from the limestone soils. This is a wine built for the table rather than the aperitif. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees and decant an hour ahead to open the oak and let the native grapes show. Good with roast and grilled red meats.