Gallina de Piel Roca del Crit Emporda 2022
Gallina de Piel Roca del Crit Emporda
Region: Cataluna, Spain
Vintage: 2022
Bottle size: 75cl
Grape: Cariñena, Garnacha
ABV: 14.5%
Aromas of red cherry, blackberry, violets and wild herbs emerge on the nose. A juicy core of red berry fruit is underpinned by lively acidity and fine grained tannins.
Fruit for the ‘Roca del Crit’ is sourced from Empordà in Catalonia. The Carignan vineyards are based in Rabós. Facing the mountains, this area is known for 'the tramunatana', a strong wind which often reaches 120 kilometres per hour and mitigates the warm summer temperatures, but can also dramatically reduce yields. The Carignan vines are 86 years old and planted on free-draining slate soils, producing low yields of intensely concentrated fruit. The Garnacha vineyards are located close to the site of El Bulli, in the coastal area of Mas Marés. Here moderating sea breezes extend the growing season to promote complex aromatics in the wine. The vines have a minimum age of 20 years and are planted on granitic soils, which impart a signature freshness. The wine’s name, screaming rock, refers to the cliffside close to El Bulli, where David and colleagues would go to let off steam after a busy restaurant service.
The varieties were picked and handled separately. The Garchacha was fermented in stainless steel tanks with 10% whole bunches and then aged for six months on its fine lees. The Carignan was fully destemmed before fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks. It was then transferred to a combination of new and used French oak barrels (500-700 litre capacity) for malolactic fermentation and aged for 10 months on its lees. The wine was blended, filtered and bottled before being matured for three months in bottle prior to release.
Gallina de Piel is a winemaking project from David Seijas, former Head Sommelier of three-Michelin-starred restaurant El Bulli. David aims to create versatile wines from Spain’s gastronomic northern regions, Catalonia, Aragon, and Galicia. He works with local growers, selecting the best vineyards planted with indigenous grape varieties, to create wines that emphasise elegance and freshness.