CAL BATLLET-MARC RIPOLL, Spain

He immediately set about renovating the dilapidated winery, and since built Cal Batllet into one of the region’s most highly regarded estates. Marc is one of a new generation of winemakers in Priorat who are intent on reclaiming the region for their own, focusing on a style that puts the local terroir at its heart and light-years away from the full-bodied blockbusters that once wowed the American critics. An organic approach to viticulture and the use of wild yeasts and barrel fermentation in the winery all come together to create wines that uniquely express the sites they come from – and none more so than the 90-year-old bush vines of the near-extinct Escanyavella grape, which translates from Catalan as ‘old lady strangler’!

Viticulture

The autochthonous Escanya Vella, Cariñena and Garnacha vines are mostly ancient, some almost a century old, and planted on fairly steep slopes in slate soils which is reflected in the style of the wine which are strong and full of personality. He has managed to combine the need for manual winemaking methods with modern winery practices to produce wines of class and presence. Most of the work is carried organically and with respect, and whilst the wines are not certified, a large percentage of the vineyards are certfied as organic.

Winemaking

An organic approach in the vineyard and use of wild yeast and barrel fermentation all come together to create wines expressive of the individual sites they come from. A minimal intervention approach is taken in the winery, with respect for the terroir, mostly unfined and all unfiltered.