Wine of the Week
Gran Caus Rosat 2021 – Can Ràfols dels Caus
DO Penedès (sub-zone Massis del Garraf)
100% Merlot
ABV 13.5%
Price: €14.40 in Enterwine, and widely available in Spain
In 1979, Carlos Esteva took over the running of his grandfather's estate and set about regenerating the vineyards and restoring the derelict masia (traditional Catalan farmhouse). Over the years since, Can Ràfols dels Caus has become known for the quality of its wines and its experimental approach to viticulture, with a total of 28 grape varieties now planted across an area of some 90 hectares (the estate itself is much larger). My interest in these wines really took off when, in 2012, I left Barcelona and moved to Sant Pere de Ribes, a town that sits at the edge of the Garraf Massif where the winery is located.
Although part of the DO Penedès, winemakers in the Garraf see the sub-zone as offering a unique terroir. In contrast to the more fertile central valley of the Penedès region, vines planted in the Garraf have to work hard to obtain nutrients and water, sinking their roots into the limestone bedrock beneath the shallow topsoil. The proximity of the sea and the abundance of aromatic herbs in the garrigue landscape are other features that winemakers here often highlight as contributing to the mineral backbone and complex flavours of their wines. Overall, this is an area where yields are low, but quality is high. Unsurprisingly, therefore, it is now common to find wines labelled as Massis del Garraf in addition to DO Penedès. This is the case, for example, of the Gran Caus Rosat 2021 that I am drinking as I write.
Of all the wines from Can Ràfols dels Caus that I've tried over the years, this would not be my go-to bottle for a wine of the week. That honour would have to go to their Xarel·lo Pairal, produced from a single plot planted with vines that are over 60 years old. The Xarel·lo is a stunning wine in my opinion, expressing the best of what the Garraf has to offer.
But when I heard the news that Carlos Esteva had passed away at the age of 72, the bottle I had to hand was his 2021 Rosat (100% Merlot), and so it is with this wine that I raise a glass to the man whose creations have brought so much pleasure to my table over the years.
This is a wine that reminds you of the importance of considering rosé as a serious contender in its own right, not just as a summer sipper. It also shows what a skilled winemaker can do with Merlot on this side of the Pyrenees – which is one in the eye for me, as my well-honed bias towards local varieties means that I often dismiss Spanish wines with Merlot (or Cabernet Sauvignon) in their blend.
For this 2021 Rosat, the grapes were macerated for 18 hours, followed by spontaneous fermentation of the free-run juice in stainless steel tanks for 40 days (dry and organic farming with hand-harvesting is practised for all wines produced by Can Ràfols dels Caus). The result is a wine with a bright ruby colour, like a shiny red cherry, a fruit that also hits you on the nose and palate, along with ripe strawberry and hints of those aromatic herbs that carpet the Garraf. The subtle tannins and 13.5% alcohol certainly give it some body, but there's also a refreshing acidity here, and the overall impression is of a wine that is complex yet light on its feet, making it a versatile companion to food. This is what the Spanish call un rosado con alma de tinto (a rosé with the soul of a red), and I'm sure it would develop further with time in bottle.
It seems fitting that as I refill my glass and walk out into the garden, I'm greeted by the early evening song of a blackbird, the bird which lent its name (in French, le merle) to a grape that it appeared to be particularly fond of. I take another sip, and understand why.