The ‘spine of Figuera’ is 100% Garnacha from three old-vine, high-altitude plots in the village of La Figuera, near the old slate-mining villages of El Lloar and El Molar. La Figuera is technically in the comarca (or county) of Priorat, although wines made from its Garnacha grapes fall under the DO Montsant, not the DOQ Priorat. Go figuera.
At 700-800 metres on the slopes of the Montsant mountain range, these vineyards are among the highest in the region. The soils are red clay/limestone with layers of gypsum, so they are alkaline rather than acidic. The fruit grown here produces wines that are so uniquely elegant and fresh that local growers refer to their vines as ‘Garnatxa Fina’. The oldest vines for this cuvée are 80 years old, with an average age of 60 years. Regarding the vinification, Vèrtebra de la Figuera was 100% whole-bunch fermented, raised in concrete for eight months and bottled unfiltered. There’s more depth and sinew than in the entry level wine, with layers of wild berry, spice and mountain herbs wrapped in silky tannins and driven by altitude-derived rocky freshness. It’s silky and persistent with a Burgundian-like shape and engaging chalky texture, which tapers to a pristine finish. It’s a wine that will clearly benefit from air and a couple of years in bottle, but it’s also absolutely delicious now. A joy to drink.