Terroir Sense Fronteres Vèrtebra de la Figuera de Montsant 2021
Terroir Sense Fronteres began as a quest to harness the unique minerality and soul of Montsant and give liquid voice to the restraint and freshness of the complex hills surrounding Priorat through the special Grenache vines that grow there. Garnatxa Fina is a local variety of Grenache with bigger berries and thinner skins that thrives on the plateau 600 meters up the Figuera mountain in pink clay and gypsum-laced vineyards. The old bush vines range from 40-80 years of age and in these cooler, late-ripening sites lend the varietal wine a nearly Pinot-like elegance and purity. The grapes are vinified for up to 10 days in cement tanks, and then aged a further 8 months in cement. The use of cement instead of oak in the ageing process results in a wine that is powerful in flavour yet light in body, a long and complex expression of Grenache and the heights of the Figuera Mountain where the vines grow. The cool Grenache fruit radiates elegance and altitude - nearly Alpine in its precision - and just a hint of attitude. Aromas of smoky black fruits, ripe blackberries and crunchy pomegranate mingle with accents of liquorice and fresh forest herbs. The elegant palate opens into a wild ride of sun-soaked fruits, chalky cool nights and tremendous structured concentration. A persistent acidity courses through the wine just below the surface like an underground stream. Fine tannins shape and hone the taut body into the picture of refinement.