A Catalunya Balancing Act

Join us this Saturday to sample:
2010 Ca n’Estruc L’Equilibrista DO Catalunya
Price: $35/bottle – SOLD OUT

Working with the variable weather patterns of a growing season, most vintners do their best to bottle a red wine that is harmonious with fruit, tannins and acid that still expresses the place where the grapes were grown. Francisco Martí has done just that with the exceptionally drinkable 2010 Ca N’Estruc L’Equilibrista.

Although Francisco Martí is co-owner of perhaps the finest wine shop in Spain, Vila Viniteca, in the El Born district of old Barcelona, and partner in a leading distributor, he has spent much of his life in the vineyards of the Ca n’Estruc estate. It’s fair to say that he knows a thing or two about wine.

The Martí family and Ca n’Estruc have origins in wine production since 1548. The estate of around 64 acres lies on the slopes of Montserrat at over 500 feet in elevation. Vineyards with some vines that are close to 80 years old are ideally orientated to optimize sunshine. Cool summers and mild winters allow for even ripening of the fruit. Cultivation is organic.

The small production and highly aromatic 2010 L’Equilibrista is a classic Mediterranean blend of 45% Syrah, 30% Garnatxa Negra, and 25% Carinyena. The grapes are hand-picked and hand-sorted. Fermentation takes place in open wood and stainless steel vats before aging in French oak barrels for 14 months. The resulting wine is brimming with red and black fruits, a hint of oak, juicy acidity, and just enough tannin to balance it all out. It drinks magnificently now but can also develop in a cellar for another few years.

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Posted on 2014.11.28 in Saturday Sips Wines, Spain DO, Catalunya