2015 Sot Lefriec, Alemany I Corrió, DO Penedès, Spain

Aromas of smoky oak, blackcurrant and cherry with a hint of herbs. Dry with soft acidity. Dense but concentrated, with blackcurrant and cherry alongside the integrated toasty oak. Wonderfully deep with hints of dark chocolate and minerals. Very long with a touch of camphor-like herbs in the finish.

In the little town of Vilafranca del Penedès in Cataluña, Irene and Laurent are challenging the traditional perception of DO Penedès wine.

Converting their vineyards from the typical Penedès high yields and abandoning all forms of chemical treatment and fertilisers, they follow basic organic practices. Much of the construction and equipping of their cellar was modest and homemade, including building their own tanks. Production remains small, yet as they identify further small vineyard sites their range has extended to include distinctive wines from the indigenous varietal Xarel-lo, which they choose to do extended fermentation with, using indigenous yeast and it is then left on its lees to increase the richness and compexity.