This week’s Wine of the Week comes as a bit of a surprise even to me! Last night I was joined for dinner by a couple of friends and I had the 2005 Castell de Les Pinyeres as our “backup” to our lead wine. Thinking that it would be a bit nostalgic to drink this wine – this wine is produced in the small village (El Masroig) in which I spent a week last Fall – I was amazed when I opened it as to how fantastic it proved to be (especially for it’s price point of around $15).
The El Masroig winery was founded in 1917 and encompasses 500 hectares (1236 acres) of vineyards in the Montsant Denomination of Origin. On the winery’s website is posted the following statement: “Taking a glass of wine to the lips is much more than just tasting a product. You explore the character of a landscape and culture which is reflected in each of the notes that that give the wine body”. Harvest in the village is around 2.5 million kg (2755 tons) and includes the following varietals: Cariñena, Tempranillo, Garnacha, and Syrah. The ground is primarily red clay and the dryness of the summer along with the poor fertility of the land all contribute to wines of great character.
The 2005 Castell de Les Pinyeres is a wine with an intense deep red color and has aromas of red fruits and spice. On the palate ripe red fruits are exhibited with a balanced and long finish. It consists of 40% Garnacha, 35% Cariñena, and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Tempranillo and is aged for 12 months in French (70%) and American (30%) oak barrels. The 2005 vintage in Montsant was rated by the Peñin Guide as “Very Good,” while the 2004, 2006-2008 are all listed as “Excellent.” I would definitely seek out some of the wines from the village of El Masroig. I am certain you won’t regret it!
Life is short. Drink great wine!
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Las Rocas you are absolutely correct! Part of my aim for Bodega is to introduce people to wines from other regions. I, too, enjoy wines from Calatayud. Who knows? Maybe we'll see one of them up here soon!
This sounds like a beautiful wine. A lot of people find that they're partial to wines from a particular region, especially when it comes to the difference between old world and new world. It's the terroir of the region all the way. Calatayud Garnacha, for example, is made in high-altitude regions of Spain, where grapes ripen slowly, and the fruit-forward style of the resulting wine really communicates the tenor of the land. I won't stoop to say that drinking Garnacha is like "being in Spain"…but as you can probably attest, it's like revisiting old memories.