Roque Colas 2021

Colás Viticultores traces its roots back to 1860, when Roque Colás acquired the estate now known as El Pago de Las Covatillas. Five generations later, the family continues his legacy, farming 18 hectares organically and crafting a single wine that reflects the unique character of Alhama de Aragón. In 2010, Carmelo Colás and his sons, César and Mario, established the winery to honour their ancestors’ methods while embracing modern techniques that respect nature. Situated at 800 metres, the vineyards benefit from fresh, dry winds and deep, varied soils of clay, limestone, and stone. Garnacha, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a small amount of Merlot thrive here, with vines up to 55 years old.

Their only wine, Roque Colás, is a tribute to their great-great-grandfather. Certified organic farming. Grapes are hand-harvested then ferment spontaneously on wild native yeasts. Each variety and each soil type is fermented separately in small 3500 kg deposits for 15-20 days; initially at 15-16º C increasing progressively to a max of 32º C. Gentle daily stirring; before being lightly pressed with a 100 year old manual press. Unfiltered. The wine matures for 24 months in a mix of French oak.

Concentrated and thick rich black and red berries with heavy floral notes; dust and earth. Brooding and evolving. Palate is sweet fruit; smoky minerals; kirsch; red cherry; cooked raspberry. It's heavy but with a touch of freshness; grippy in the mouth and long on the finish.

Partridge, Tronchón-cheese, Venison-sausages

Calatayud, in the south west quadrant of the Aragon region is equidistant from the Med, Pyrenees and the Atlantic and consequently has an extreme continental climate with scorching summers and frosty winters. The heat in the vineyards, which sit on a succession of rolling hills of considerable altitude (up to 1000m), is mitigated somewhat by the altitude puts them at great risk of frost in the winter months. It is a barren land, with loose, rocky soils, good drainage and a generous proportion of limestone. Yields are typically low, bringing richness and power to the wines in which Garnacha dominates. For a long time it has been a region synonymous for making bulk wines (being one of Aragon's largest wine-producing regions), but there are a now a growing number of artisan producers using the extreme climate, old vines and power of the Grenache to make wines of real quality.