2015 Alegal calabres BERGESIO COLLEZIONE
REGION/ ORIGIN: Salamanca (Castilla) , Sierra de Francia
WINEMAKER: Daniel Ramos
VINTAGE: 2015
WINERY ESTABLISHED: 1998
VARIETALS: 100% Calabrés (Garnacha)
VINEYARD(S); .25 hectares (Miranda del Castañar)
ALCOHOL 13.3%
AGE OF VINEYARD(S); 95 year old vines (planted in 1920)
FERMENTATION: Plastic vat Indigenous yeasts
SOIL TYPE; Granite & sand
AGING: 15 months
ELEVATION; 750 meters
VESSELS :Used 225L French oak
FARMING METHODS: Natural (no certifications)
FILTER/FINING:None
PRODUCTION: 300 bottles
“Strength does not come from physical capacity, it comes from an indomitable will.” - Gandhi
Mauro Bergesio had a dream when he first started to partner in small parcel of grapes in the drastic mountains of southern Salamanca. He saw remarkable potential in the local grapes, and knew that with the right touch, something truly special could be born in a bottle. Mauro isn’t a winemaker because he is obsessed with the land, consumed by old and gnarly vines, and thrilled by the possibilities of what the land and vine can do. He seeks out only the greatest winemakers that have a unique and special touch for the grapes he grows, always keeping the integrity of the grape at the forefront of importance. For the Alegal, Mauro has partnered with the esteemed Daniel Ramos, a Viticultor en Gredos where diverse and high elevation Garnacha is king, and his approach is to always listen to the individual nuances of this incredible grape. His cellar is an old converted cooperative in El Tiemblo (southwest of Madrid), where he may experiment with different fermentation and aging vessels, but is always working toward the purest expression that the wine can give.
‘Calabrés! Don’t sell it, don’t’ give it, don’t show it to the neighbor, for its wine is perfect!’ -the locals
The Alegal is a tiny production wine coming from the mountains of Salamanca in the Sierra de Francia. A small, quarter-hectare plot of nearly 100 year old vines produce the local type of Garnacha that is known there as Calabrés. The name comes from when the Diocese of Calabria passed through Salamanca long, long ago, and now is a grape that is hardly found anymore. Hand-harvested from bush vines, the grapes were brought to the cellar of Daniel Ramos in El Tiemblo for its vinification. After a de-stemming and crushing of the grapes, natural fermentation only took about 2 weeks due to the low alcohol of this particular Garnacha, and was then racked into a single, 225-liter used French barrel. Only a touch of sulfur was added at bottling for the 300 bottles produced in 2015. The aromatics are wild with herbs, violets, blackberries, crushed rock, leather, and lavender. In the mouth it has a juicy base of ripe mountain fruit, high desert shrub, savory yet spicy dark chocolate, scrumptious tannins, and balanced acidity
