Tomas Cusine El Vilosell 2006

After helping to lead the now famous Castell del Remei estate into the world spotlight, Tomas Cusine has headed off on his own with a new estate in the old historic village of El Vilosell. This very high altitude property (at 700-750 meters) is located in an area that has very dramatic temperature differences between night and day and can easily be pronounced as having its own microclimate. Rainfall is rather low and almost non-existent in the summer.

Tomas Cuisine dramatically changed the winemaking at Castell del Remei when his family took over the estate in the 1980’s. Here, at his own estate, he is using these same progressive techniques, but with a very different microclimate. The grapes here are much later to mature than lower down in the valley. Maceration can take up to 25 days for some varietals and all are vinified separately. Tomas employs a partial ageing in oak for some added layers of complexity.

Castell del Remei is located in Western Catalonia in the D.O. of Costers del Segre, just to the west of Barcelona. A small winegrowing region, Costers del Segre is divided into six sub-zones and covers 3,886 hectares. Tempranillo is widely planted here, as is Garnacha, and as of the last 20 years, high levels of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot have been planted.