Wine has its own jewels and many of them have something in common: they come from ancestral varieties. If we refine it a little more: they were born from the recovery of grape varieties that were believed to have been extinct due to the ravages caused by the phylloxera plague at the end of the 20th century. XIX. And, no matter how devastating the scourge had been, it was not unreasonable to think that old surviving vines could still be found somewhere.
Familia Torres has been dedicated to this almost “archaeological” work on wine for 40 years, specifically, to the recovery of Catalonia's wine heritage. Although, for a few years now, the fifth generation of the winery has given new impetus to the project to identify those varieties from the past that show not only oenological potential, but also the ability to adapt to climate change. It was in the mid-eighties when, thanks to the help of Catalan farmers, the winery made a surprising discovery: a strain on the terraces of Garraf that the technicians, despite their extensive knowledge and experience, could not identify.
For 10 years, this strain was sanitized and reproduced by in vitro culture, acclimatized and studied to verify its adaptation, characterization and oenological potential. The result was excellent and it was decided to plant the variety in the Conca de Barberà and incorporate it into the first vintage of Grans Muralles in 1996. The garró – as it was recognized – became the first object of study of the project to recover ancestral varieties . In 1998, a second variety with real potential was discovered, which received the name querol, in reference to the town where it was located. And so, one after another, Familia Torres found up to more than 50 varieties.
By returning to the past and recovering the varieties that our ancestors used, we can look to the future and find this authenticity that will give rise to unique, very special and irreplicable wines in the rest of the world celebrate Miguel and Mireia Torres Maczassek, members of the fifth generation of the winery. Of all the ancestral varieties discovered today, Familia Torres is especially proud of six with oenological aptitudes and adaptation to high temperatures. The result is six very special wines.
It is the new Familia Torres wine made with recovered ancestral varieties that it has just launched on the market, the third single-varietal and the first to come from the Purgatori estate (starting with the 2022 vintage, it will be covered under the Costers del Segre DO). The variety was located in 1998 and has adapted especially well to the Lleida farm, at about 500 meters above sea level, where the climate is extremely dry and the oscillations of the thermal installations between day and night are very pronounced.
Gonfaus is a low-productive variety and one of the few female varieties currently known. Their wines present complex aromas of ripe fruits on a slightly spicy background and show well-integrated acidity and good concentration, with ripe and sweet tannins. Gonfaus 2021 is the first commercial vintage of this wine, intended especially for fine dining, and of which only 1,118 bottles have been produced.
The ancestral Pirene variety is planted on the Familia Torres farm in Tremp (Lleida), 950 meters above sea level. Precisely, it owes its name to its good adaptation to these high altitude vines, since it matures slowly and is usually harvested in mid-October. Pirene is a red variety with a lot of color and a high level of tannins. From this variety, Familia Torres produces a small-production single varietal destined for fine dining: Pirene 2021. It is a wine that shows a lot of red fruit, with a mineral and spicy touch. It is elegant and surprises on the palate with its texture and finesse, with tasty and at the same time fresh fruit. His upbringing? In second-year French oak barrels for four months and in stainless steel tanks.
All these qualities have been highly valued by international critics. For example, by Eric Asimov of the New York Times, who chose it as one of the 12 best wines he had tasted in 2019.
Forcada is the only white variety recovered of the more than 50 found and is planted in Alt Penedès, in Mas Palau, in Santa Maria de Miralles, on a farm with clay soils located at 550 meters above sea level and, more recently, in 2020 , in Les Escostes, in La Llacuna, an old vineyard with terraces and dry stone walls located 700 meters high, at its highest point, to search for the ripening limits of this variety.
Forcada has a long cycle, very vigorous and productive. Its aromatic intensity and freshness surprises. It has a markedly Mediterranean profile due to the aromas of herbs, white flowers and very fine citrus notes. From this variety, Forcada 2021 is made, a small-production single-varietal intended for high production.
The white forcado variety, together with the Xarel·lo, gives this wine an irreplicable authenticity. Pale yellow, bright and clean. Delicate and seductive, it offers a symphony of fruity aromas (lemon, grapefruit, mandarin). In the mouth it is fresh, lively, juicy and with fine pulp. Interesting and original in his personality. This is Clos Ancestral Blanco, an organic wine from the DO Penedès by Familia Torres.
Viticulture has existed for more than 2,000 years around the Bleda Castle, in the heart of Penedès, the land of origin of the Torres Family. Iberian, Roman, medieval and just before phylloxera vestiges have been found there. This is the case of la moneu, an ancestral variety originating in Penedès that the winery reintroduced by planting it on the Bleda castle estate, near the emblematic Mas La Plana estate.
With this variety, Familia Torres produces Clos Ancestral 2021, a wine that also incorporates the Tempranillo and Garnacha varieties, with an intense aroma of fresh and perfumed fruit, sweet on the palate, with marked acidity and good concentration and balanced tannins.
It is the first exponent of the Familia Torres ancestral varieties project and owes its name to the walls that protected the Poblet monastery. The unmistakable identity of Grans Muralles 2019 (DO Conca de Barberà) is found in the stony slate soils (Licorella), but also in the varieties that make it up.
The Torres Family managed to recover extinct native varieties such as garró and querol, using modern viticulture techniques. These varieties, together with Garnacha Tinta, Cariñena and Monastrell, make up the spirit of this unique wine that ages 18 months in new French oak barrels and is part of the Antología Miguel Torres collection.
