Winemaker Notes
Based on the Monastrell grape, one of the indigenous varieties of Valencia, Vermell also includes smaller portions of Garnacha Tintorera and Mandó in the final blend. Hand harvested, destemmed and fermented by natural yeasts in stainless steel tanks and stone lagars, then aged in amphorae, Vermell showcases the typical dark-fruit flavors and herbal nuances of Monastrell without being overripe, overbearing or overloaded with oak. It is an excellent introduction to the new “old style” of wines being made at Celler del Roure.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The amphorae-aged red 2016 Vermell is a Garnacha Tintorera-based blend with 30% Monastrell fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and aged in amphorae for six months. It has a characterful, primary and a little wild nose, very young, showing some Mediterranean herbs that grew as the wine sat in the glass. It feels like the Tintorera is a nice base for this blend, especially as it's handled here, with lower yields; therefore, they harvest it earlier and make a very soft vinification—almost a white vinification without skins—resulting in a sharper and more vertical wine and then with the kick added by the Monastrell. The palate is very balanced and with very fine tannins. It ends clean and very tasty. This is a delicious young Mediterranean red.
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Jeb Dunnuck
A value priced blend of mostly Garnacha blended with 30% Monastrell, the 2016 Vermell is a medium-bodied, ripe, yet also elegant 2016 that has outstanding notes of blueberries, black cherries, earth and loads of exotic, floral nuances. Brought up in larger, subterranean amphorae, it a character-filled, old-school-styled red well worth drinking.
Spanish red wine is known for being bold, heady, rustic and age-worthy, Spain is truly a one-of-a-kind wine-producing nation. A great majority of the country is hot, arid and drought-ridden, and since irrigation has only been recently introduced and (controversially) accepted, viticulture has sustained—and flourished—only through a great understanding of Spain’s particular conditions. Large spacing between vines allows each enough resources to survive and as a result, the country has the most acreage under vine compared to any other country, but is usually third in production.
Of the Spanish red wines, the most planted and respected grape variety is Tempranillo, the star of Spain’s Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions. Priorat specializes in bold red blends, Jumilla has gained global recognition for its single varietal Monastrell and Utiel-Requena has garnered recent attention for its reds made of Bobal.