TERROIR SENSE FRONTERES | MONTSANT

Marcenca 2022

Terroir sense Fronteres began as a quest to harness the unique minerality and soul of Montsant, giving liquid voice to the restraint and freshness of the complex hills. 2021 vintage marks the debut of another voice in this growing symphony: Marcenca. Although our Guix Vermell also uses fruit from this 800-meter-high vineyard, the plentiful gypsum in the clay soils here create a stonier, stormier and singular expression.

The Garnacha vines average about 50-years of age and tend toward vigorous growth in the special microclimate of the site. The wine is whole bunch fermented for 6 - 8 days in cement tanks, then left to age for 6 months in cement. Using a lighter extraction than many wines in our portfolio, the limited release Marcenca is a pale, radiant beauty that sings a song all its own. 

The complex aromas are as stormy and stony as the site itself. Wild cherry, blueberry, beach plum, and kumquat infused with a deep, abiding spice. Dark red fruit and elegant florality. The taut palate courses with mineral momentum and a chalky finesse. Balsamic notes and evergreen tension linger into a long, spicy finish. The power comes from deliberate restraint, from gentle infusion, creating an articulation unafraid of the light and the introspection that brings.
Location Els Montalts
Age 50 years old
Altitude 800 meters
Varieties 100% Grenache noir
Soils Red clay with gypsum layers
Alcohol
12.5 %
Location Els Montalts
Age 50 years old
Altitude 800 meters
Varieties 100% Grenache noir
Soils Red clay with gypsum layers
Alcohol
12.5 %
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After fermentation is complete, the wines are aged in stainless steel vats for a period of 6 months. The lack of oak used in the aging process results in a light, purely fruit-driven wine that expresses the Grenache varietal and the fruit’s unique terroir of origin.
Reviewed by Luis Gutiérrez | The Wine Advocat

The generic red 2017 Negre is a blend of Garnacha and Cariñena from different vineyards around Capçanes. It fermented with full clusters in stainless steel, where it was kept until bottling. It’s a fruit-driven, light, refreshing Mediterranean blend with notes of licorice and wild berries. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and a soft, caressing texture. I tasted the wine that was going to be bottled (in March 2018). They expect to fill some 6,000 bottles.