TERRA DE CUQUES BLANC VI DE TERRA VIVA

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TERRA DE CUQUES BLANC
VI DE TERRA VIVA

This rich, textured blend of Pedro Ximenez (90 %) and Muscat d’Alexandria (10 %) is only the second white wine to grace the Terroir al Limit family. The clay soils of El Molar, an ancient mining village at the southern end of Priorat, offer an ideal haven for 25-year old Pedro Ximenez (PX) vines that yield fruit of unparalleled finesse from these north-facing vineyards. The power of the skin-contact PX is softened with the cool floral beauty of Muscat d’Alexandria from the llicorella slate hills of nearby Porrera.

Whole clusters are layered in fermentation vessels for 5 - 7 days, then pressed in an old vertical basket press into small concrete tanks to emphasize the individuality of each lot and aged for 14 months. The traditional combination of extraction, oxidation and maceration encourages sleek and structured layers - almost more red in style than white - to emerge on the palate and convey the unmistakable voice of the sites. From an initial rich, fino-like character emerges a wine of tension and freshness, racy citrus layers of white currant, mirabelle and spring flowers. A singular expression that belies the full finesse and depth of the region.

Location	Pedro Ximenez from El Molar Muscat from Porrera
Age	25 - 30 years old
Altitude	400 - 600 meters
Varieties	90% Pedro Ximenez, 10% Muscat de Alexandria
Soils	Pedro Ximenez in clay, Muscat in slate
Production	6,668 bottles
Yield	3,500 kg per hectare
Alcohol	13,5%

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Location	Pedro Ximenez from El Molar Muscat from Porrera
Age	25 - 30 years old
Altitude	400 - 600 meters
Varieties	90% Pedro Ximenez, 10% Muscat de Alexandria
Soils	Pedro Ximenez in clay, Muscat in slate
Production	6,668 bottles
Yield	3,500 kg per hectare
Alcohol	13,5%

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ELEVAGE
REVIEW

After several years experimenting with different casks, sizes and producers, we now work with a combination of 500-litre barrels and different sizes of Stockinger, thus guaranteeing the most respectful elevage to allow the wine to rest before early bottling. Terra de Cuques is bottled after around 16 months of ageing.

Reviewed by Luis Gutiérrez | The Wine Advocat

The yeasty and aromatic 2016 Terra de Cuques was just about to be bottled, so I tasted the final blend, mostly Pedro Ximenez and 10% Muscat that was kept with skins and stems for a week and then with the fine lees until bottling around one year from the vintage. It has tannic structure and a seriousness on the palate, flavors and an aromatic profile very different from the other two whites from Terroir al Límit.

I don’t remember such a strong yeasty character from previous vintages, but there is also austere minerality on the palate, a characteristic that I think is very nicely transmitted by the Pedro Ximenez. It’s a fresh and balanced vintage. They expect to fill some 15,000 bottles in February 2018.