2019 Cellar Piñol "Mather Teresina" Red Blend, Terra Alta, Catalonia, Spain
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ABOUT THE WINE:
Garnacha blend from 60-70-year-old vines, at high-elevation (1500+) vineyards about an hour southwest of Barcelona – a dash of 20% Cariñena, and the extremely rare Morenillo grape at 10% to make it extra-rocking.
ABOUT THE PRODUCER:
At Celler Piñol, the connections to the land via organic farming, commitment to indigenous grapes, and the involvement of the entire family are the pillars that support every bottle of wine they produce. Generations of the Piñol family have made wine on their estate in Terra Alta, a Mediterranean “hidden gem” wine region in the Catalan highlands of Tarragona. Since the early 20th century, an inherited passion for wine has allowed “Piñol” to be synonymous with “pioneer” in Terra Alta’s fine winemaking tradition. As Josefina often says: “Celler Piñol: four generations of love and passion for the land in every bottle!”
The Piñol winemaking story begins with the great-grandfather Arrufí, who made wine for home consumption from vineyards around the village of Batea. When his daughter, Teresina, married Juan Piñol, the family’s adventures in winemaking grew in earnest, with Juan and Teresina leading the cellar from the 1940s until the 1990s. At 104 years old as of the 2021 harvest, Juan has always been a fixture at the winery—and always smartly dressed as he fulfills his “quality control” tasting duties! When Teresina passed, her daughter Josefina (along with husband Josep) insisted on not only continuing the cellar but growing it; her bold efforts saved Celler Piñol from extinction during an era of co-ops and internationalization and brought the winery into the fine wine trade. Under Josefina’s sharp business management, Celler Piñol released its first commercial vintage in 1995: 2000 bottles of L’Avi Arrufí Blanc, a 100% Garnacha Blanca. The family’s fourth generation, Josefina’s son Juanjo, joined the business in 2000 after leaving behind a career in chemical engineering—although he leans on this experience as a member of the winemaking team. While taking sommelier courses, Juanjo met the famed wine consultant Toni Coca, who has worked around northeastern Spain for three decades, and has consulted for Celler Piñol since 2007. The full-time winemaker at Celler Piñol is another dynamic, passionate young woman: Cristina Borrull, who joined the winery in 2018. With a strong winemaking team leading the daily cellar operations, Juanjo can place his boundless energy into his primary role as export manager: sharing Piñol wines with trade and consumers as he travels around the world.
Celler Piñol is located in the village of Batea (about two hours southwest of Barcelona) and on the border with Priorat and Aragón, which is the ancestral home of all Garnacha variations. Terra Alta is the one of the highest, driest, and sunniest part of Catalonia, part of a unique microclimate courtesy of the mountainous border of Aragón to the west, the enormous Ebro River bringing cold, dry air from as far north as Rioja, and the moderating Mediterranean Sea in the distance to the east. Terra Alta is known for its cold winters and later harvest, and the gentle snowmelt here kick-starts the spring and summer growing season, making it easier to farm with little irrigation. Additionally, the limestone-rich soils are deeper and more homogenous than in neighboring Priorat or Montsant, resulting in wines that have less vintage variation. With only 6,000 hectares of vineyards scattered around the slopes and valleys of the area, this accessible region is starting to catch on among outside winemakers in search of great terroir; two dozen wineries have joined the pioneering Piñol family in Batea alone over the last two decades, up from just a small handful at the time of their founding.