Spain Catalonia
Grape variety: Garnacha
A blend of multiple vineyards, the cuvée name comes from one of those vineyards, Artaroses. Since 2017, we have stopped producing entry-level cuvees and made Altaroses the entry-level winery, focusing on making wines that emphasize quality. As a daily wine, it has a depth and luster like no other.
3 weeks maceration in cement tanks 12 months aging in aged barriques
Cellars Joan D'Angela is owned by brothers Josep and Joan. Viticulture and wine production in Dalmos since 1820, now in the 7th generation. From 1820 to 1984, the wine produced was sold in bulk. In 1984 their father started bottling wine, sold as "Joan D'Angera". Since then, we have increased the production of wines that always respect the terroir. After his father died in 2000, the cellar was run by Josep and Joan. In 2008, we started working in the biodynamic fields, and since 2012 we have received Demeter certification and European Union organic food certification.
Personal history
Josep studied agricultural techniques and Joan studied oenology. When their father died, the two young men took over the cellar, and at that time, in the 2000s, the trend was for super wines with strong alcohol, tannins and new oak, and they were part of that trend. We started to make wine inside. And the method was good enough for them to get very high marks from the most authoritative wine magazines of the time. But in 2008, they got fed up with that method. This is because they realized that their wines are similar to other wines from other lands, and that they are international styles made to the same standards. They started asking themselves. What is our wine culture? what is our base? Are we making wines that are sincere and fully reflect the land and history? I also wondered if wine could be a product of unavoidable circumstances or a careless act at the time. These questions became the starting point for them to make wine as they do today. They are wines that feel like they come from the village they live in, and conversely they make us feel like we belong to these wines.
philosophy
Joao D'Angella's philosophy is based on respect for tradition and the natural rhythm and course of things. Based on biodynamic principles, the wines are produced in such a way that they express the character of the terroir. In the fields, we work the soil as it lives, creating a rich environment in the workings of nature with a variety of flowers and trees. In his fieldwork, he respects the rhythm of the universe and allows nature to express itself. In the cellar, work is like wine's friend, but it doesn't dictate where it should go. Ultimately, they are just two country boys whose simple wines represent.
