The UnCorker

2005 Vinos Pinol Terra Alta Sucra Natura Organic Red

May 4, 2009 | In WINE REVIEWS | No Comments

Deep garnet-purple in color. Aromatic with dark cherry, cassis, rosemary, and kalamata olives.  Northern Rhone-like terroir – with minerality and chalky tannins from the poor, calcerous soils. Great extraction – but a bit stewed & raisiny on the finish. Moderately enjoyable with some spicy, oily salami to cut the tannins – but the flavor is not there and the wine does not present an integrated whole. At $14 a decent play for a certified organic wine and peaked our interest in the obscure D.O. – “Terra Alta” – which is yet another up-and-comer from Northeastern Spain.  DO Terra Alta is a poor-man’s Priorat – throw it in with Montsant and Tarragona – in that it has a similar arid, windswept, scrabbly mountain landscape and limestone soils, and a predilection for foreign-style blends (mostly the indigenous Garnacha and Carignena with the imported wonder grapes Cab. Sav. and Syrah thrown into the mix).

Because of elevation (1300 meters)  and a blustery wind called the cierzo, winters are cold here, with temperatures dropping as low as 23 degrees Farenheit. This produces the occasional dusting of snow, which must be a real novelty by Catalan standards because the Vinos Pinol website is splashed with images of their various bottlings playing in the stuff – sort of like Southern California children on a snow-tubin’ day-trip up to Big Bear.  This is a low-end effort for these guys, but promising, and we’re definately interested to try something higher up in their product line.