SISTEMA VINARI
Lo Vilero 2021
Mallorca, Spain
This is made up entirely of local grape Escursac from a young vineyard farmed by his friend Cati Ribot in Santa Margalida and this wine is a collaboration between the two. The grapes fermented as whole bunches for nine days, with the addition of some natural CO2 from another wine’s fermentation, before being pressed off for seven months of rest in old casks. A gorgeous, deep ruby in the glass, this is extremely open and expressive, with soaring notes of mulberries, herbs and brine. Featherweight on the palate, it would make for a wonderful aperitif alongside some sobrasada, black olives and a good hunk of sharp, salty cheese.
Escursac
ABOUT THE PRODUCER
Few wines speak so strongly of where they’re from as those produced by Eloi Cedó Perelló on the island of Mallorca.
Originally from Montsant, Eloi’s project started back in 2010 when he began making a string of one-off wines from the vineyards farmed by friends around his native Catalunya. In 2012 he produced the first vintage of his now iconic cuvée, Chateau Paquita. A tribute to his late mother, this arresting blend of Mallorcan varieties was one of those wines that simply stops you in your tracks – a truly unique expression of man, grape and place.
An island of incredible beauty, Mallorca also offers a unique climate for growing grapes. Though it spends most of the year bathed in sunshine, the vineyards benefit from the Mediterrannean’s sea breeze and the cool, dry winds of the Mistral. The fascinating local varieties are grown over what the locals call ‘Call Vermell’ – red clay soils which are incredibly rich in iron and lend the wines a distinct minerality.
Eloi has two and half hectares of vines spread across a collection of tiny plots dotted around the south east of the island in the villages of Felantix and Porreres. They range from a hectare to just a tenth of that size and the oldest vines were planted in the sixties. He farms organically, employing biodynamic principles. He also purchases grapes from a friend for his Novetat Total and frequently collaborates with his friend Cati Ribot on their Lo Vilero cuvées.
In the bodega Eloi displays a real lightness of touch, adding nothing at any stage, producing wines with an uncanny sense of place. Though their heady flavours of sunkissed fruit, herbs, citrus and brine transport you straight to the island, they remain delicate, nuanced and incredibly light on their feet.
Photo: Alba Giné