Ca N’Estruc L’Equilibrista

Ca N’Estruc L’Equilibrista 2015

Opaque purple garnet hue

Super rich, smooth, velvety tannins, full body with lovely mineral flecked dark fruit. Not overly ripe - quite restrained, serious, bold.. Like a brooding tall dark stranger.

Complex blackberry fruit aromas with touches of coffee and mocha.

About the Producer

An exquisite Rhone style blend from this historic Catalunyan estate.

The Ca N'Estruc estate dates back to 1548. Here on the slopes of the holy mountain of Montserrat in Esparreguera - half an hour away from Barcelona - Francisco Marti cultivates 22 hectares planted at 165m on alluvial soil.

The estate has a unique microclimate with the vineyards planted to protect vines from the cold north winds whilst optimising sunshine to ensure full ripening. They experience cool summers, mild winters and an average annual temperature of 14ºC.

Grapes

Garnacha 55%, Syrah 30%, Samsó 15%

Garnacha is a black skinned grapes, and one of Spain's flagship varieties. It is grown in almost every area of Spain, but most notably in the north and east. Garnacha berries have thin skin and ripen late in the growing season. Acid and tannins can be variable depending on growing conditions and cropping levels, but tend towards the low-medium end of the spectrum.

Syrah is a dark-skinned red wine grape most successful and famous plantings are in Northern Rhone and Australia where it is known as Shiraz. Syrah is also an extremely useful blending grape due to its deep color and typically high tannins.

Samsó is a local name for Cariñena in Spain, it is a black-skinned wine grape variety, most likely native to Aragon. The variety is found in wines along the Mediterranean coast, particularly in northeastern Spain and in France's Languedoc-Roussillon region.

Region

Esparreguera,

DO Catalunya, Spain

One hour drive inland from Barcelona, the region is strongly influenced by its Mediterranean climate.

Along the coast temperatures are warm with moderate rainfall but conditions become progressively more arid further inland.

The vineyard is 165 meters above sea level, and it has a specific microclimate and is sheltered from the cold north winds by the mountain of Montserrat.

Due to this protection the vineyards enjoy cool summers and warm winters with a average annual temperature of 14.1 º C.

Viticulture

Sustainable farming

Plantations are perfectly designed to optimize the effect of the sun, each plot has been studied in detail so that the perfect match in terms of variety got planted. The oldest vines are redirected to trellises in globelé system (typical of the Rhône). New plantings are aligned north to south, on trellises and conducted on the first wire 80 cm of the soil to promote better ventilation and to avoid most pesticide treatments.

The winery is in the center of the property, which allows for very fast transportation of the grapes. Small deposits of 2,500 L stainless steel tanks and temperature controlled vinification makes it possible to separate musts of different vineyards, both classified by age and by variety and elaborated separately until the final assemblies.

Vinification

The L'Equilibrista wines are produced from a selection of the best parcels from this old Catalan estate.

Manual Harvest

A blend of Syrah, Garnacha and Carinena (called Samso locally).

The individual parcels are fermented separately, then blended.

The wine spends 14 months in new French oak barrels that have had a medium toast.

Wine Spec

Vintage: 2015

Alcohol: 14%

Name of Producer:

Ca N’Estruc

Name of Wine:

L’Equilibrista

Winemaker:

Francisco Martí Badía

Origin:

DO Catalunya

Wine & Food Matching Ideas

Paella with Prawns and Chorizo

Lamb Chops

Lamb Stew

Grilled Steak

BBQ

Chorizo

Try it with

Grilled Lamb with tomatoes and black olive tapenade

by Nigel Slater

Grilled lamb chops are a delicious match with this wine. I also love the Mediterranean vibe from the black olive tapenade and anchovies that echoes the Catalan origin of this wine. I recommend chilling it for 10 minutes in the fridge before serving.

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