Celler de Capcanes Costers del Gravet 1998

High up in the hill, roughly 30 miles inland from Tarragona and 100 miles to the south of Barcelona, lies the village of Capcanes, in the sub-zone of the Tarragona DO called Falset. Essentially, this sub-zone is continuous with the Priorat DO, and the wines from this area have more in common with the wines of Priorato than they do with those from the plains around Tarrragano itself.

Viticulture
At Capcanes, the altitude ranges from 300 meters to 700 meters, and natural rainfalls is low at around 450 mm. The average temperature in this Mediterranean region is around 15 C and rises to 35 C in the summer. Soil in the lower vineyards is deep, rich and fertile; the higher vineyards and all the terraces are on poor, mineral , stony soils with a granite or slate base. Under the guidance of the two winemakers, Angel Teixado and Antoni Alcover, owner/winemaker of Fra Fulco. Capcanes has progressed to a level of serious quality among Spanish reds, and offers tremendous value.

Vinification
New cellars were built to accommodate new temperature controlled stainless fermentation tanks and 600 new oak barrels, of which about 30% are French. Along with the introduction of a new bottling line, the packaging has been updated, reflecting the new breed of wine produced at Capcanes.