AT Roca "Rosat Reserva" Catalonia, Spain 2023

FROM JOSE PASTOR:

THE WINE: 50% Macabeu, 50% Garnatxa Negra from 18 certified organic and regeneratively farmed parcels around their estate. The Macabeu is from 14 parcels in both the Costers de l’Ordal and Massís del Garraf on gravelly calcareous soils (all 30 years old or more), and the younger vine Garnatxa is from 4 parcels in the lower elevation Conca de l'Arnoia on clay/calcareous soils with pebbles. The grapes are hand-harvested and the Macabeu is direct-pressed whole cluster while the Garnatxa macerates for a few hours before pressing into stainless steel tanks for primary fermentation. Malolactic fermentation is blocked, and the wine goes through secondary fermentation in bottle with the addition of concentrated must, aged on fine lees for at least 20 months with regular hand-riddling on pupitres, then is disgorged without freezing and zero dosage for a brut nature wine.

THE PRODUCER: Agustí Torello Roca and his father and aunt, Agustí Torello Sibill and Lali Torello Sibill, founded AT Roca in 2013, with a focus on vineyards and wines with a sense of place. Their mission is to showcase their region: the eastern part of Penedès near the Massís del Garraf and the foothills of the d’Ordal mountains. The estate farms its own vines and works with three growers, all of which are certified organic, and they only work with indigenous Catalan grape varieties, with a focus on Macabeu. AT Roca is part of a growing movement to change the way people view Penedès sparkling wines and to start recognizing the uniqueness of this terroir. A growing number of wineries have chosen to no longer associate themselves with the Cava DO, and have formed their own organizations with more stringent requirements such as aging and farming practices.