Who would have believed it ? Not me. In fact, we are there. At the opposite extreme of what, for decades, anchors my certainties. Spain, for example. Did you say sunny country? True, it’s there for everyone, but when you’re a winegrower between Barcelona and Jerez de la Frontera, more specifically around Utiel-Requena, Jumilla or Manchuela, the diurnal star that hits — climate change or not — on the coconut of men as on that of grape berries must necessarily deliver a harvest as ripe as it is heady, as generous in sugar as it is low in acidity… Well not at all!
This is at least the observation made by the many cuvées, tasted last week, from Bodegas y Viñedos Parajes del Valle, owner of 160 hectares of vineyards in addition to a market gardening activity (terrace) among a hundred winegrowers practicing organic farming.
The tasting also highlighted the potential of the Macabeo grape varieties (which I have personally always found rather neutral in character) and Monastrell (the local Mourvèdre), whose tannic structure I have always considered to structure the wines, defying all hope of suppleness and digestibility in these scorching regions located in the south-eastern tip of the Iberian Peninsula.
Stunning freshness and high palatability: are the wines of tomorrow already within reach?
The initiator, the scout, the illuminator — not to say the emancipator of conscience — is Italian, more precisely from the region of Umbria and has the name Danilo Marcucci. I don’t know him from Eve or Adam, but his understanding of plant material and the environment in which it fits into its overall biodiversity seems to date back to the genesis of the world, to an antediluvian era when glyphosate n hadn’t yet nipped the quiet life of ladybugs in the bud and caused any carcinogenicity in humans. This is, at least, the impression given by the wines when tasted.
The man, discreet, inspired and intuitive at the same time, agreed to put his grain of salt by consulting the Parajes del Valle team during a very rare excursion beyond the borders of his native country, where Marcucci had previously developed a highly enviable experience with figures such as Valentini, Maga, Cappellano, Mattioli, Massa Vecchia, Maule and other Rabascos.
Houses that have made their mark in these “hypernatural” wines that stick to the skin of the terroirs as well as that of a new generation of amateurs who have nothing to do with the junk esotericism distilled by the many schools or chapels fashionable. Let’s rather talk here about followers of voluntary vegetated simplicity.
The small dozen wines tasted gave the drinker the impression of being “still thirsty” without however remaining hungry.
Obviously light, honest and precise in addition, extraordinarily vital, devoid of woody make-up or clumsy concentration, these little marvels of balance which do not require a doctorate in behavioral sciences to be approached all the same pose a question of most crucial: by all the gods of Olympus starting with Dionysus, who needs a beer with wines of this type?
Night harvests, short macerations of barely a few hours, limestone soils which give the wines firmness and verticality, old vines, rare interventions with a minimum of sulphur, all without adding yeast or acidification, undoubtedly add to the success of such cuvées.
You can choose private import ([email protected]) among Parajes del Valle’s partner artisan winegrowers (Señorío del Júcar, La Colina or Garcia Pérez) or get your hands on the neck of these four Parajes del Valle organic cuvées that the SAQ will be offering throughout the summer. Beer option… or not!
Monastrell 2021 ($15.90 – 14544025). Miraculous? The Mourvèdre here achieves a sapidity that grips its weightless fruitiness without diluting its spirit. Light in color, lively in flavor, flowing and uplifting, because it neither tires nor weighs down the palate. Miraculous, yes! (5) ★★ 1/2
Maceración Macabeo 2021 ($19 – 15031176). An orange wine with character, with nuances of herbal tea and cut herbs, subtly detailed as a bonus. (5) ★★★
Macabeo 2021 ($15.95 – 15032259). Old vines on limestone, and the aromatic profile explodes and intrigues under a dry, clean, saline and coherent fruitiness. (5) ★★ 1/2
Rosado 2021 ($15.95 – 14984282). This rosé from the press offers a crunch, but also spirit to the Bobal grape variety, which is nevertheless reputed to be unremarkable if the yields are abused. Nice pairing with anchovies, marinated or not. (5) ★★ 1/2