Barrel tasting
“White wine” Dosterras Blanco 2011 (60% pedro ximenez, 20% roussanne, 20% marsanne) – not DO Montsant, not available in the market
Quite green, reductive, sulphured and leesy. Ripe tight fresh tropical citrus notes. Textured deep and mineral notes, a product of sun and soil, warmth and depth, textural.
Old vine Grenache 2011
Vibrant rosy violet floral notes, ripe red fruits and concentrated red soil elements. Ripe red currants, 2.5 g/l RS vibrant soft generous and makes a nice component. But also pretty good on its own. Great earthy complexity, nice firm yet silky texture.
Carignan 2011
Very bright tight and fresh, but completely reductive and shut-down.
Finished wines
Vespres 2010 (grenache, carignan, 10 months second use 300l barrels)
Pretty hard to smell when it is chilled down. Very dark purple colour, quite intense concentrated, vintage? Tight fresh juicy dark red fruits. Nice and full, good balance and generosity of acidity and tannins, no oak characters. Approachable for the wine, is this the Montsant style?
Dosterras 2010 (100% grenache, 16 months new and second use 300l barrels, old vines)
Intense dark sweet black fruit. Extremely plummy, very dense maceration regime, soft sweet dark fruit, very gentle and caressing, not oodles of depth or good concentration.
Finca Aiguasals 2009
Black olive, savoury blackberries, brown earth, chocolate, liquorice, Good structure, texture from the tannins and oak, gets some life somehow from the second passage in barrels where the first use was for white wine. 900 litres in total. A wonderful wine, a cut above the Monsant DO.
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The Intrepid Wino 