Escabeces

Cartoixà Vermell

Cartoixà Vermell

Cartoix Vermell Escabeces

This is a brand new wine from René Barbier from the D.O. of Taragona. A few years ago, a farmer acquaintance approached René to see if he’d be interested in making a wine from a small parcel of 65-year-old Cartoixà Vermell, the very rare Catalan grape also known as red Xarel.lo. The trick with this wine is that, while it presents as a rosé, it is made as if it were a red wine. The Cartoixà Vermell, however, never develops a tremendous amount of pigment, so even with a long skin maceration, the wine only achieves a coppery-pink color. The grapes are harvested around 12 degrees of potential alcohol in the beginning of October. From there, they are moved to the winery, where the must ferments on the skins for a period of three weeks to a month in ceramic containers. It is then pressed off the skins to continue its aging in ceramic containers for another 5-6 months and neutral barrels for the remainder of its 18-month élevage.

Info

Producer:
Vintage:
2022
Country:
Spain
Region:
Catalunya
Appellation:
Tarragona
Variety:
Xarel-lo Vermell
Color:
Orange
Farming Practice:
Practicing Organic

Sizes Available

Full Bottle ES-ESC-01-22 12/750ml

Resources

Press & Reviews

Wine Advocate
Score
92
Date
2024-05-16
"A ros, from the gray variety Xarel.lo Vermell, the 2022 Escabeces partly fermented with the skins for two to three weeks and the rest as semi-carbonic, matured in old barrels and amphorae for some eight months. It has a deep orange color and an expressive nose. It has notes of red berries and sweet spices, Mediterranean with aromas of dry straw and a serious, dry and tasty palate. It has moderate ripeness and 12.5% alcohol and is balanced, with a dry and clean finish. It's kept in bottle for one year before it's released. It's now sold without the Tarragona appellation. 6,700 bottles were filled in May 2023."

REVIEWS FROM PAST VINTAGES