Celler Joan d'Anguera "Altaroses" 2022

Brothers Josep and Joan d'Anguera are the seventh generation of their family to make wine in the village of Darmós, in southern Catalonia. They're also the first to leave the Montsant appellation. Their light, elegant, terroir-driven style didn't fit the region's preference for power and concentration, so they now bottle their wines as Vino de Mesa, free to make Garnacha their own way. The estate is fully Demeter-certified biodynamic. Altaroses is their "village-level" Garnacha. It's 100% Garnacha from younger vines, about 10 to 35 years old, on the family's Les Altaroses estate around the cellar. The vineyards face north, which tempers the Mediterranean warmth and keeps the fruit fresh, on chalky, limestone-rich soils with loam and clay. The grapes are hand-harvested and fermented with whole clusters and native yeasts in concrete, then aged about 15 months in old, neutral barrels. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered with very little sulfur. Tasting notes: Vibrant ruby. Fresh wild strawberry and red cherry, with garrigue (wild Mediterranean herbs), floral notes, and warm spice. The palate is supple and medium-bodied, with mouthwatering acidity, gentle, fine tannins, a stony minerality, and a clean, slightly saline finish. It shows Garnacha at its most elegant and pure, a world away from the heavy, jammy style.