Josep Foraster - 'Brisat del Coster' - Macabeu - Conca de Barberà, Catalunya, ES - 2020

The most lovely, well structured, ØØ yet approachable & classic tasting skin contact wine we've had in recent memory. Just a delight and another reason to love the Macabeu grape... in my opinion: The Cashew of Grapes!

Concept: Natural and skin contact wine. It is a wine that transports us to an old way of elaboration showing great character and complexity. It is not filtered so it does not lose any of its properties and remains protected despite having no sulphurous added.

Elaboration: Selected harvest of ripe grapes in boxes of 20 kg. It is fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks. Skin maceration for 21 days. No added sulfites and no filtering.
Varieties: 100% Macabeu.
viticulture
Organic farming since 2011; in the process of CCPAE certification.
Type of soil: Calcareous soils with a lot of boulder and slate. Located on the sunny slopes of the Prades Mountains.
Climate: Continental - Mediterranean.
Age of the vineyards: More than 40 years the Macabeu Altitude: 450 m. above sea level.
Production (kg / ha.): Only 2000 kg of the ripest Macabeu grapes are used; the vineyard is harvested for the Blanc Selecció the next day.
Tasting chart
Color: Gold white with orange trim. (not filtered)
Aroma: White fruit, citrus, undergrowth.
Tasting: Soft entry to show great amplitude; tannic and electric. Temperature: Consume at 10 - 12oC.

Pairing: Cheese, paella, vegetables and red meats.

Ricard Sebastià Foraster was still in his early 20’s when he became the fourth-generation winemaker on his family’s vineyard estate in the unique D.O. Conca de Barberà. These vineyards are planted in a lovely valley surrounded by mountains, where the soils range from the river erosion-formed land in the valley to clay-limestone and poor in organic matter on the slopes of the Serra de Miramar. There are also vineyards near the winery itself, on the sunny slopes of the Prades mountains, where soils are calcareous with pieces of river rock and slate.

Just two red varieties are planted on the 9 hectares of the Mas Castells estate: Cabernet Sauvignon and Ull de Llebre (the local name for Tempranillo). In the rest of the vineyards, the family has planted red varietals Trepat (the indigenous red varietal grown predominantly in Conca de Barberà.), Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Grenache and Garnacha Peluda (literally, “Hairy Grenache”); and white varietals Garnacha Blanca (White Grenache), Chardonnay, Macabeu and Parellada.

“THE INFLUENCE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA BRINGS EVEN MORE ACIDITY TO THE GRAPES, THUS PRODUCING WINES THAT COMBINE STRUCTURE AND ELEGANCE.”

This is a typical continental-Mediterranean climate, with a high contrast between day and night temperature, which brings freshness and personality to the wines. The influence of the Mediterranean Sea brings even more acidity to the grapes, thus producing wines that combine structure and elegance.

Josep Foraster’s philosophy is sustainability and quality, and they use only their own organically grown grapes, without synthetic products or herbicides, also using biodynamic principles in the viticulture. This respect for the soil and terroir is reflected in the wines they produce.

The family’s careful and dedicated approach to integrated farming combined with a great commitment to avoid increasing production beyond sustainable levels makes this estate unique in an already unique region. Their delightful wines combine elegance and balance with power, while the winery itself is well-known for the incomparable beauty of the terroir and the architecture.