Celler de Capcanes Pansal del Calas Late Harvest Garnacha 2008
Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
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.
Known for bold reds, crisp whites, easy-drinking rosés, distinctive sparkling, and fortified wines, Spain has embraced international varieties and wine styles while continuing to place primary emphasis on its own native grapes. Though the country’s climate is diverse, it is generally hot and dry. In the center of the country lies a vast, arid plateau known as the Meseta Central, characterized by extremely hot summers and frequent drought.
Rioja is Spain’s best-known region, where earthy, age-worthy Spanish reds are made from Tempranillo and Garnacha (Grenache). Rioja also produces rich, nutty whites from the local Viura grape.
Ribera del Duero is gaining ground for Spanish wines with its single varietal Tempranillo wines, recognized for their concentration of fruit and opulence. Priorat, a sub-region of Catalonia, specializes in bold, full-bodied Spanish red wine blends of Garnacha (Grenache), Cariñena (Carignan), and often Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Catalonia is also home to Cava, a Spanish sparkling wine made in the traditional method but from indigenous varieties. In the cool, damp northwest Spanish wine region of Galicia, refreshing Spanish white Albariño and Verdejo dominate.
Sherry, Spain’s famous fortified wine, is produced in a wide range of styles from dry to lusciously sweet at the country’s southern tip in Jerez.
Apart from the classics, we find many regional gems of different styles.
Late harvest wines are probably the easiest to understand. Grapes are picked so late that the sugars build up and residual sugar remains after the fermentation process. Ice wine, a style founded in Germany and there referred to as eiswein, is an extreme late harvest wine, produced from grapes frozen on the vine, and pressed while still frozen, resulting in a higher concentration of sugar. It is becoming a specialty of Canada as well, where it takes on the English name of ice wine.
Vin Santo, literally “holy wine,” is a Tuscan sweet wine made from drying the local white grapes Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia in the winery and not pressing until somewhere between November and March.
Rutherglen is an historic wine region in northeast Victoria, Australia, famous for its fortified Topaque and Muscat with complex tawny characteristics.