Trossos Vells 2021

Trossos Vells is a single variety Cariñena from Alfredo Arribas at Portal del Priorat, made in the D.O. Montsant in Catalonia. The fruit comes from very old vines, more than sixty years of age, spread across nine plots in Masroig and Marçà at the heart of the appellation. The climate is hot and very dry, and the soils are mainly clay and sand, very poor in organic matter; that combination keeps yields low and the old vine fruit concentrated, while Cariñena, a late ripening, naturally high acid grape, holds freshness through the heat. Harvest runs from late September into early October, picked by hand. The wine is aged for twelve months in French oak, the slow oxygen exchange through the staves rounding the firm tannins of old vine Cariñena and adding subtle spice without masking the fruit. Expect a deep red, a nose of dark plum, red berries and dried herbs with an earthy, mineral edge, and a structured palate with grippy tannin, a peppery, lightly smoky finish and clear stony freshness. Decant and serve at 16 to 18 degrees alongside grilled meat or game.