Wine of the Week 9/14/21

Celler Piñol Raig de Raïm Garnacha Blanca 2020

Regularly $17.99/On Sale for $13.96

The Piñol family has been engaged in winemaking for four generations, ever since l'avi Arrufí (grandfather Arrufí) founded the estate in the early 20th century.  Juanjo G. Piñol and Cristina Borrull are the current winemakers. Juanjo's mother Josefina remains in charge of the family cellar.  The vineyards are located a few miles southwest of Priorat, within the Terra Alta DO in northeastern Spain.  The exclusive use of estate fruit allows for the winery to maintain lower yields, increasing aromatic intensity and concentration in the wine. Temperature controlled native yeast fermentation in stainless steel is followed by a 6 hour cold soak on the skins. The wine sees contact with the lees for a little over a month with occasional stirring. The wine is fined and filtered before bottling.

Raig de Raïm means Gleam of the Grape in Catalan, and this White Garnacha (with 20% Macabeo) is a rich and glowing example of the underappreciated Terra Alta region.  Give it a try!