Castell d'Encús - Taleia Brissat 2018

'Brisat is the Catalan word for "skin contact," a style that was traditionally used in many of the wine regions there. The white 2018 Taleia Brisat is therefore a skin-contact Sauvignon Blanc (in 2018 Semillon was used in other wines) that fermented with the skins as if it was a red and without adding any sulfites. It has a contained 11.86% alcohol and very high acidity and low pH that should make it age nicely. The vines were planted at high density in 2003 on limestone-rich soils. All of the wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts, this one in the 12th century stone lagars, and the punching down of the grapes (without stems) with the skins was ultra light to avoid extracting bitter notes. It then matured in French oak barrels for 10 months. So, the skin effect on the nose and even the color is quite light. Amazingly enough, there are no added sulfites here, and the wine is clean and precise, with no deviations whatsoever. This is very tasty and has very fine tannins and a subtle minerality that is a chalky texture. 4,500 bottles were filled in July 2019.'

Castell d'Encús is the personal project of winemaker Raül Bobet in the Costers del Segre appellation. He planted new vineyards at high altitude—over 1,000 meters above sea level—and hence in a fresher zone, and those are coming into production starting with the 2020 vintage. He now works 22 hectares of vineyards that are over 15 years old and a further six hectares from the younger plantings, all in the village of Talarn. He produces 90,000 bottles of very high quality wines.