Els Basotets

Els Bassotets 2022

Region : Spain

Grape: Garnacha Blanca 60%, Macabeo 35%, Garnacha Gris 5%

Category: White (Orange)

Ripe yellow peach with a slightly bitter touch. A rich orange with a strong presence.

Slightly cloudy, deep yellow appearance.
Aromas of plum, apricot and mint, with a slightly crispy touch and concentrated dried fruit flavor.
The three biodynamically grown varieties are fermented separately in stainless steel tanks, then fermented and aged in cement tanks.

[Producer information]

Joan Ramon Escoda is one of the pioneers of natural wine in Spain. Together with his wife Marie-Carme Sanahya, they founded the Escoda Sanahya winery in Planafeta, Conca de Barbera, located in the south of Catalonia, in 1999, and began full-scale winemaking in 2003.
They started with organic and biodynamic cultivation, and stopped using antioxidants in 2005. Today, they own 11 hectares of vineyards and have become a world-famous Spanish wine producer.
The cellar is surrounded by forest and is home to animals such as pigs, chickens and horses.
There are no farmers around who use pesticides, so the wine is not affected by anything. The soil is limestone, and Joan Ramon believes that this soil gives the wine a mineral feel and a great acidity.

In the cellar it's pretty simple.
We pay attention to cleanliness, but we don't add anything. We brew using stainless steel and underground cement tanks, as well as amphorae of different sizes called tinajas. We introduced new cement tanks in 2022. In fact, this is one of the factors that has made Joan Ramon's wines from this year more transparent and more refined. We do not filter or clarify the wines at all.

Joan Ramon questions the natural wine boom of the past few years.
He is concerned about what a vigneron is, what terroir is, and the prevalence of natural wines that have no terroir or character.
He said that it's good that natural wine is popular, but that terroir is not just about the fields, but also about family and culture. He also said that there are too many natural wines that lack identity. He said that there are many producers who don't have enough respect for wine.
He believes that a wine only has its true essence when it expresses the terroir, the characteristics of the variety, and the personality of the producer.

There is no certification of organic etc. It is systematic and stupid.
They don't make direct-pressed wines. They don't have a press, and Conca's wine style has always been one that requires maceration.
Long before orange wine became popular, the Conca style has been to macerate white grapes as well.
There are many orange wines available today, but they lack the character and terroir of the land, and he says he doesn't want to make anything in that style.
His winemaking also reflects his respect for not only the terroir of the land, but also its history and traditions.