"Excited." This is how they claim to be in the Clos d'Agon winery before the presentation of this novelty in the high-end family of their wines. It is their first Premium rosé, a wine that they say has been conceived “to enjoy now or give it time to express its full potential”. In a blend of 57% of Lledoner Roig (Grenache Grey) of an old clone from vines over 70 years old grown in goblet, in coplantation with other varieties, and Cabernet Franc (43%), obtained from two small plots, from very limited production, surrounded by forest in the highest part of their farm.
The result, they state, “is a fresh but voluminous, persistent wine with great weight in the center of the mouth. Aromas of fresh red fruit, flowers, orange peel and anise”. They also point out that Clos d'Agon Alba del Tinar is "a breath of fresh morning wind, which evokes sunrises in the Conca del Tinar, where we are."
El Tinar is the name of the valley where this winery is located, in the municipality of Calonge (Baix Empordà). It is a beautiful amphitheater facing the sea. The lledoner roig is the son of a small vineyard planted 70 years ago, the closest to the sea. It is owned by the octogenarian winegrower of Calonge Alfonso Marturià Jofre, who has worked all his life. Today it is Clos d'Agon, who rented it for 10 years, who takes care of it. Cabernet Franc is born on the slate soils of the Clos d'Agon estate. Its ancient red lledoner is part of the wine-growing Noah's Ark found in Calonge.
A study by the University of La Rioja has made it possible to rediscover new vine varieties that local viticulturists have maintained and safeguarded in the municipality of Calonge. In just over 160 hectares they have found 22 different varieties of grapes. It has been certified, therefore, that the variability of the wine-growing area of this municipality in the Baix Empordà region is truly exceptional, since there is no known case, neither in Spain nor in other countries, in which four or five parcels of vineyards there is this number of different genotypes and, more especially, such an outstanding volume of new ones.
The finding places the wine-growing area of the town of Calonge as "a unique case in the world, since it has an exceptionally rich genetic heritage that should be protected and characterized in greater depth", as reported by the town hall. The researchers argue that ancestral varieties may be more adapted to the effects of climate change and more resistant to certain pests.
The 2022 vintage of Clos d'Agon is "synonymous with power, structure and elegance". Unlike the year 2021, in which there was very good fruit set, in 2022 there were fewer grapes than in a normal year. The vintage was very dry. They began the harvest on August 23 with the white varieties, one of the earliest dates for the start of the harvest in this winery.
After the whites, and practically without stopping, they continued with the reds. They finished the harvest on September 15, turning out to be one of the fastest harvests in the history of the winery. All these conditions, according to Clos d'Agon, "have resulted in wines with great structure, concentration and lots of fruit, accompanied by excellent acidity that balances the whole set". Regarding the reds, the variety that now shows itself to be "the finest complex and fruity" is the Cabernet Franc, which "shows surprising freshness and elegance for a rather warm vintage."
The Clos d'Agon Alba del Tinar grapes are the daughters of integrated production. Its maceration was practiced for about 13 hours. A part of the wine underwent alcoholic fermentation in a 500-litre French oak barrel of second wine, fine-grained and medium toasted. The rest fermented in a stainless steel tank. The whole remained for six months on its lees. From mid-September to the end of March, lees work was carried out. It was decanted naturally, clarified with bentonite and a very gentle filtration was carried out. It was bottled on May 22 of this year.
The Clos d'Agon Alba del Tinar 2022 has been sealed with a Tap de Finca, a cork made of natural cork from the Gavarres forests. The creation of the Taps de Finca brand by the Consejo Regulador de Empordà DO, the Associació d'Empresaris Surers de Catalunya (AECORK) and the Consorci Forestal de Catalunya, under the auspices of the Institut Català del Suro, provides a differentiation with a meaning of quality, local and sustainable product, which favors the management of the Empordà cork forests. Specifically, with these cork stoppers the aim is to offer a new local wine product, in which both the wine and the stopper have been made in the surroundings of the DO Empordà.
It also wants to guarantee the regeneration of forest masses, contributing to the reduction of fire risk, and increase forest exploitation of cork oaks in Catalonia. With its impulse it has been wanted to "defend the ecological, environmental, social and emotional values of the cork stopper". Finca Taps have a smaller ecological footprint than other cork stoppers since the cork is extracted and the stopper is manufactured in Catalonia.
Clos d'Agon Alba del Tinar 2022 is very pale pink in color, with copper and orange tones. Crisp and bright. It exhibits notes of peach, red strawberries and blood orange on a background of fennel. Roundness with good acidity (without acidification) and a mineral finish (saline) that shows the microparticles of marine saltpeter that the winds transport to the branches of the vines.
According to the technical director of Clos d'Agon, the oenologist Miguel Coronado, "it is a white with a red body". Depth on the palate and complexity, with a pleasant texture. In fact, it shows body, 13.3 alcohol and a certain tannin, although with an absence of pyrazines. Coronado highlights "the very nice vinous part of the lledoner roig, and that" it seems sweet, although it has zero grams of sugars. It is a very Mediterranean wine. Miguel Coronado defines it as "kindness in a high-end rosé wine". The technical director of the winery likes to pair it with a dish that he describes as "very simple": some Palamós prawns "that have only been shown on the grill". He claims that the sweetness and saltiness of the red prawns “combines brutally”. From the winery they also propose harmonizing it with raw fish such as tuna or salmon; cebiche; fish, shellfish or beef carpaccios; salads; salty or sour appetizers and cheeses.
The history of Clos d'Agon revolves around the main farmhouse on the estate, Mas Gil, which gives its name to the entire property. There are written records that confirm the existence of a vineyard on this estate as early as the 15th century, in what used to be Mas Sabater. The current farmhouse was built in 1792, which in ancient times was surrounded by 12 hectares of vineyards planted with hybrid varieties, narrow planting frames and goblet pipes.
It was at the end of the 80s of the last century when the modern stage of this winery began. The Extremaduran winemaker and biologist Miguel Coronado, born 41 years ago in Cabeza la Vaca (Badajoz), directs this project after joining it as an intern in 2007. He intends to make high-end wine, "with elegance, finesse, and storage capacity”. He has been reducing the impact of wood and has introduced cement deposits and foudres.
It was at the end of the 80s of the last century when the modern stage of this winery began, when a couple of Franco-Belgian origin acquired the estate. He, Philippe Dambois, decided to reverse exploitation. Advised by his friends Pierre Galet and André Crespy, from the University of Montpellier, he substituted the old, but of poor quality and future, goblet vines. This meant that the first trellises planted in Catalonia were seen. They opted for typical French varieties, to the taste of Dambois, with Bordeaux prevailing among the reds and those from the Rhône Valley among the whites. A total of 8 hectares were planted, always under the supervision of Crespy. This is how the Clos d'Agon brand was created.
Dambois was making wine on the property, always looking for quality above other considerations, until, at the end of the 90s, he decided to sell the farm. It is then that the new property landed, initially a group of six Swiss friends (currently two), related and passionate, in one way or another, with the world of wine.
The current owners are Alfons Niedhart and Jurg Maurer. For this stage, which began in November 1998, they had the advice of Peter Sisseck (Pingus Domain), a personal friend of all of them. 8 new hectares were planted and work began on the new winery, signed by the architect Chus Manzanares.
The winery is a modern construction but integrated into its surroundings, slightly inspired by the work of Piet Mondrian and located right in the center of the property. The average annual production is around 80,000 bottles, of which 70% are exported. Its main market is the Swiss, followed by the German, the Thai and the Spanish. Clos d'Agon is a member of the Grandes Pagos de España association.
