Costerduo Vinyes Velles Priorat DOC 2018

Costerduo is a fantastic small wine project started by two young men who met while studying enology at the University of Tarragona. Upon graduation, they had a unique opportunity to acquire two small plots in the vicinity of Torroja del Priorat. One plot has slightly younger vines (15-30 years), while the other has older vines (75+ years, known in Catalan as Vinyes Velles). Both plots have absolutely ideal locations and conditions for growing the best grapes for fine wine. The winemakers enthusiastically create exquisite limited-edition wines by hand and are in constant pursuit of the perfect expression of the exceptional terroir of Priorat. Costerduo's philosophy is one of the highest respect and admiration for the unique traditions of Priorat viticulture, its people and nature, as well as the wonderful fruits of the land—local Priorat varieties: Grenache and Carignan. The estate is formed by three traditional vineyards around Escaladei and Poboleda (villages of Priorat). Two of the three vineyards have nearly century-old vines planted on very steep slopes in a truly authentic coster manner. Most of the vines are untrained and grow on slate-stony soils. This type of soil retains almost no nutrients and water, leading to a relatively high concentration of phenolic compounds in the grape skins, which, combined with the specific Mediterranean and Priorat microclimate, makes the red wines so unique. The high altitude and steep slopes of the Priorat vineyards mean that everything is done almost by hand, from pruning to harvesting. The grapes are hand-harvested and then carefully sorted into boxes of 12-20 kg at optimal ripeness. Alcoholic fermentation takes place in small stainless steel and concrete tanks, with limited maceration. This is followed by gentle pressing of the grapes, after which malolactic fermentation occurs. The winery uses a mix of new and used French oak barrels, with aging of the wine in bottles before release.