2021 MIMETIC, Gallina de Piel. Catalonia, Spain

This comes from vineyards in Penedès, in the north east, at an altitude of between 750 and 1,000 metres, on deep clay soil with pebbles on the surface. The vines are aged between 35 to 80 years old.

98% Garnacha, 2% ‘Other Native Red Varietal’; matured for 6 months on fine lees in concrete tanks before bottling – no wood used as the emphasis is on the ‘natural’ fruit expression of the Garnacha.

From their website:
“Gallina de Piel is an exciting winemaking project from David Seijas, the former Head Sommelier at three-Michelin-starred restaurant El Bulli. David’s aim is to create versatile wines from Spain’s gastronomic northern regions: Catalonia, Aragon and Galicia. He works with local growers, selecting the best vineyards and indigenous grape varieties to create wines with an emphasis on elegance and freshness.”

Broad, spicy and very ripe. This is lively and impressive – an authentic expression of Garnacha; really interesting comparison with similar styled Grenache-based wines in the Southern Rhône.