The wine that I’d like to present to you today
is from the Conca de Barberà region, an area of the Tarragona province in the
south of Catalonia. It is also a Denominació d’Origen (Designation of Origin)
with a long history relating to the vineyards and winemaking. The only time
when winemaking ceased was during a period during the Middle Ages when it was
conquered and occupied by the Saracens. Fortunately, at the Early Middle Ages the cultivation of vines
slowly recovered as the Catalans started to recapture their lands. In this area
vine growing was closely linked to two religious orders: the Cistercians, at
the abbey of Poblet, and the Templers, warrior-monks who had settled in the
Conca Barberà. These monks helped in the reintroduction of viticulture and they
explained to the farmers how to cultivate and look after the vineyards in order
to have good wines. All this knowledge was passed on from generation to
generation until the present day.
Vine growing increased progressively
in the region
and before the arrival of phylloxera plague the area was a great exporter of
wine, especially to Northern Europe and America. Unfortunately Phylloxera
arrived at the beginning of the XIXth century. In spite of this plague, the
enthusiasm and knowledge of the farmers wasn’t affected and they decided to
regain the vineyards, using all that they learned from previous generations.
They joined forces and continued to cultivate vines.
Conca de Barberà was a pioneer in Spain of the
co-operative system of wine production; it was in this area in 1894 where the
farmers of Barberà de la Conca started the replanting of vineyards and founded
the first co-op, linked to viticulture and the wine production.
The co-op model has proven to be important as
now it enables winemakers to work on pioneering projects, acting as an
incubator for new ideas and techniques. The idea behind them is to help young
viticulturists and winemakers get a foot on the wine ladder, allowing them to start
making and promoting their own wines, with a view to starting their own cellar
in the future. These wines are often called Vins
d’autor or ‘Craft Wines’, wines that have a particular style and
personality specifically linked to the winemaker.
Nowadays the Barberà de la Conca incubator model
is a breeding ground for well known cellars and winemakers from the region.
The wine I recommend today comes from one of
these five cellars that form part of the winemaker’s incubator: Gatzara. This word, in Catalan, means shouting, uproar in which a bunch of people
show their
joy (Pompeu Fabra’s
General Dictionary of Catalan, 1932).
Gatzara criança 2009 is a wine of limited production
(only 4463 bottles!) made with the
Merlot (50%), Cabernet Sauvignon (30%) and ull de
llebre orTempranillo (20%) varieties,
taken from old vines located in different vineyards of the area at a
height of about 600m. The vine yield is low and the vineyard is cultivated in a
way that respects and takes care of the environment.
The harvest is carried out manually, allowing a
careful first selection of grapes in the vineyard, picking the grapes at the
moment they reach their optimum maturity.
Once the vinification is finished, the wine
starts a period of 12 months aging in half toasted French oak barrels.
With the wine glass full we can see the garnet
colour and cherry red rim. It’s a clean and bright wine in appearance with
thin, slim legs that go descend slowly around the glass.
The aromas are clean, with moderate intensity.
At the beginning the smoked and toasted aromas stand out, due to the aging in
the oak barrels. However, as the wine begins open up we can detect black and red fruit, like
blackberries & raspberries, also roasted bell pepper aromas. Once the wine has
had time to breathe, the Mediterranean herb aromas of rosemary and thyme can
also be noticed with a hint of chocolate.
On
the palate the
taste is at first creamy and intense,
transforming
into a silky, velvety wine, in which the sweetness of the tannins stand out.
This wine is
full-bodied,
very pleasant on
the palate, with
good balance
and structure.
We can perceive sweet fruit and berry flavours,
and again traces of chocolate and vanilla.
Finally, I would like to point out that this is
a wine with many nuances that needs time to be discovered and savoured, without
rushing. Despite the high ABV, 15% vol. you don’t really notice it. It’s easy
to drink a glass, but if you would like a second one, it would be better to
accompany it with food. Gatzara criança
2009 goes well with roasted meat and grilled vegetables, cold meats,
cheeses etc....
The
official recognition of this wine should not be overlooked, it has received the following
awards and evaluations:
·
Gold medal in the International Wine Guide 2012
·
Best red wine criança in the XIIth Wine and Cava contest de la Conca de
Barberà
·
92 points in the Peñín Guide
If you are interested in tasting or buying this
wine, please get in contact with me at info@winepassion.cat
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