Capcanes | Vall del Calas 2003

PV Tasting Notes

The 2003 Val del Calas is a blend of 50% Merlot, 30% Garnacha, and 20% Tempranillo. The wine was aged 12 months in French oak, is perhaps even more expressive aromatically than the Costers. It offers an array of black cherry, currant, toast, spice box, and blackberry elements. On the palate it admirably combines elegance with power. The spicy fruit is very concentrated and the oak, tannin and acidity are well-integrated. With a nicely delineated finish lasts for over 30 seconds.  It is an outstanding value wine.

Classic Bordeaux red in style and best with roast lamb, rack of lamb, cheese soufflé, beefsteak, boiled beef, beef stews, oxtail, kidneys, roast pork alternatively venison.

This must be one of Spain (and the world’s?) leading co-operative wineries, making commercially astute and sometimes quite exciting wines from the 15 main producers sharing some 250 hectares about 625 acres of largely old vine high mountain vineyards planted at an altitude of 400 to 700 metres. The winery is located in Tarragona, and the Montsant DO wine region where these wines come from is a close neighbour to the famous Priorat region.
 

Vinification: temperature controlled fermentation (27º - 29º C; indigenous yeast)
Maceration: 14 - 20 days; all varieties were vinified separately.
Malolactic fermentation started in tank and finished in barrel.
Soft fining (one egg white per barrique), not cold stabilized, light filtration.

Ageing/maturation process: 11 months aged in new and one year old; mainly french oak barrels (228l); light and medium toasted - 1 racking after blending aged for 3 months in tank before bottling.

Vineyards: aged of vines: 30 - 60 years old garnacha, soil: clay, granit; several plots of slate, slopes and old granite terraces.
Merlot is planted as an altitude of up to 550 m. At Capçanes it is the latest ripening variety; this permits a long vegetation cycle.

Harvest: manual, started mid September until mid October.

Yield: 750 to 1200 g per vine, 30 - 45 hl/ha.