Notes
La Blanca is a white Brisat, a traditional skin-contact wine native to the Terra Alta region. It’s an organic orange wine, and if you’re partial to orange wines then this is as original as they come. Dating back to the time of the Romans, Brisat style wines get their colour from fermenting the wine on grape skins, in this case the Garnatxa Blanca variety.
The skin contact gives the wine an astringent tannic feel and extra complexity in flavour. With La Blanca Brisat, the terroir and grapes are very present due to the traditional form of ageing using Amphorae (large clay containers). La Blanca matures for 6 months in a 1,000-liter amphorae.
La Blanca has a deep yellow-orange colour, somewhere between gold and brass. An enchantingly aromatic wine with hints of raw almonds, anise, fennel, dried mountain herbs, honeysuckle, and apples. To enjoy the full spectrum of aromas we recommend letting it sit in the glass for some time. In the mouth it’s fresh and bold with a lingering creamy balsamic aftertaste.
Facts
Annual Production: 1,900 bottles (The club has access to 150 annually)
Type: Blanco - Brisat (White - Orange)
Body: Light
Palate: Dry
Finish: Long and complex
Grape Variety: 100% Garnacha Blanca
Viticulture / Farming: Organic & biodynamic - Terroir Driven
ABV %: 13.5
Ageing: Maceration and fermentation with skins, and aged in amphorae for 6 months on its lees. Bottled on the 21st of April 2019
Winemakers: Josep Arrufat & Joan Ramón Bada
Bodega: Vins del Tros
Region: Catalunya, Tarragona
Designation of Origin (DO): Terra Alta
Micro-Climate: A mix of Mediterranean & Continental (dry hot summers & cold winters)
Elevation: 480 meters above sea level (Vineyard La Novena)
Age of Vines: 30 years old
Soil: Limestone, clay and stones
Tips
- Drink now or keep for up to 3 years
- No decanting necessary, just uncork 15 minutes before serving
- Pairs with Tapas, Manchego or any cheese (goat or sheep), Ibérico ham, Light spreads, Poultry, Pasta or Pizza, Fish or Seafood dishes, typical Spanish dishes and all Mediterranean and Asian rice-based dishes, may be spiced but not too hot. Or enjoy it by itself or with some nuts or olives. In this case please let it evolve in the glass for a few minutes before drinking
- Ideal at 13/15 Celsius
Terroir
The picturesque Terra Alta region has been captured in a number of paintings by Pablo Picasso, who spent summers there. Picasso also took a liking to the distinguishing Brisat wines native to the region. The Ancient Romans are thought to have introduced viticulture to the area and many of their traditions still exist today, such as the use of amphorae for aging. The Garnatxa Blanca grapes used to make La Blanca Brisat grow in limestone soils. El Cierzo, a dry wind that originates in the Ebro River Valley just to the West, plays a vital role in moderating temperatures during the growing season. The vineyards are located in the valleys below the town of Villalba dels Arcs at elevations between 300-500 meters above sea level.
Vinification
The organically grown grapes are harvested by hand and transported in crates of 15 kilos to the cellar very early in the morning in order to ensure fermentation does not start prematurely. La Blanca undergoes maceration and fermentation with its skins and indigenous yeasts, with a subsequent ageing in large clay amphorae of 1000-litre capacity. This ageing takes between 5 and 6 months. The wine was bottled on a waning moon.
Unlike wooden barrels, the terracotta amphorae do not impart any strong flavours or aromas into the wine, which in turn allow the grapes and terroir to shine through.
Winemakers
The Vins del Tros project was initiated in 2009 by Josep Arrufat, vintner, and Joan Ramón Bada, oenologist and winemaker.
Josep and Joan Ramón have been friends since their childhood. They were born in Villalba dels Arcs, a beautiful, small municipality (established in the year 1224 by the Templars of Miravet) a medieval town located just southwest of the Ebro river, close to the estuary where it meets the Mediterranean sea.
The two friends are tied to their roots; passionate about the vineyards and the wine from their homeland, and for this reason, their vision is to produce wines that represent the distinctive characteristics of the Terra Alta region, and of each specific plot of land. This is why they named their project "Vins del Tros" (Wines from the plot, in English).
They are achieving their goal by naturally extracting the full potential from a variety of small local plots, vineyards (between 20 and 90 years old) of Garnacha Blanca, Garnacha Tinta - the two main local grape varieties - as well as old Carinyena plots (locally called Samsó), and a plot of the indigenous grape called Morenillo.
Ratings & Reviews
91 Points - James Suckling
