Perelada Finca La Garriga Samsó 2022

Perelada Finca La Garriga Samsó is a red from D.O. Empordà, made by Perelada from a single variety, Samsó, the Catalan name for Carinyena or Carignan. The fruit comes from Finca La Garriga in Mollet de Perelada, a flat estate of silty clay and gravel that holds the oldest vines on the property, planted more than fifty years ago. Empordà lies in the far northeast of Catalonia, where the cold, dry tramontana wind sweeps the vineyards, keeping the canopy healthy and concentrating the fruit. The old, low-yielding vines give small berries of deep colour, firm acidity and ripe tannin, the hallmark of well-grown Carignan. The wine is aged for twenty-four months in barrel, which rounds the variety's natural grip and adds spice and a savoury, cedary tone. It is deep ruby. The nose shows red and dark berries, plum and liquorice, lifted by black pepper, dried herbs and a stony, earthy edge. The palate is full-bodied and firmly structured, with bright acidity and grippy but ripe tannins drawn out by a long, savoury finish. Serve at 17 degrees, decanting a young bottle. It suits grilled lamb and hearty Mediterranean dishes.