Almost everything we know about Raúl Calle’s wines for now has been posted here! Raúl and Laura Calle are making brilliant, individualistic wines in the Gredos in a completely different style from some perhaps better known producers like their friend and equally iconoclastic Fabio Bartolomei (see here) or larger, much more polished producers like Comando … Continue reading Raúl Calle Viticultor information posted!
Appellation: none. Cuvée: Churumbi. Colour: pink. Grapes: Grenache Noir. About: the name means “child” in gypsy language so this wine is for their son Burno. It’s a gorgeous, complex rosado that fizzes with energy, fermented and aged in old American oak, only 600-1000 bottles, depending the year. Vines Location: Tietar Valley (Ávila). Size: 1 hectare. … Continue reading Raúl Calle Churumbi
Appellation: none. Cuvée: Diabolesa. Colour: Red. Grapes: Garnacha 60% and Tempranillo 40%. About: named after an insect shown on the label called an Empussa pennata that Laura found while working one day in the vineyard and representative of the rich insect life that can inhabit an organically farmed vineyard. It’s a rich, elegant and complex … Continue reading Raúl Calle Diabolesa
Appellation: none. Cuvée: Forcipula. Colour: Red. Grapes: Garnacha. About: named after the tool Raúl uses to measure the diameter of trees in his day job. This is a powerful and complex red from granite soils, made in open oak barrels and bottled early to capture the fruit freshness, only 500 bottles. Discontinued in 2019. Vines … Continue reading Raúl Calle Forcipula
Appellation: none. Cuvée: Malavara. Colour: White. Grapes: Malvar. About: named after the grape and the word for bad or ungracious, in reference to the variety, often looked down on as a “little, local” grape. It’s a vibrant and energetic skin contact white, so expect some orange, fermented in open oak barrels and plastic and aged … Continue reading Raúl Calle Malavara
Who: Raúl and Laura Calle What: Vino de España Where: Sierra de Gredos When: Since 2013 The Story Please note Vinos Naturi is the new name (2022) for Raúl and Laura’s business formerly known as Raúl Calle Viticoltores. Raúl is a forest engineer and teacher by vocation based in the easternmost point of the Sierra de … Continue reading Vinos Naturi
Appellation: Vi de Taula. Cuvée: Nas del Gegant Rosat. Colour: Pink. Grapes: Grenache Noir. About: the 2018 is the accidental but totally delicious pink, with a maceration of a few minutes before JR realised the tank was going to overflow and ran off enough juice to save it, this juice becoming the pink. Vines Location: … Continue reading Escoda Rosat
Appellation: Vi de Taula. Cuvée: Vamos Vamos Vamos. Colour: Red or White according to year. Grapes: See Vintage Notes. About: This magnum only again is one third each from JR, from Laureano Serres of Mendall, and from their friend and French importer Thierry Puzelat. Vintage Notes 2017 To be a blend of Sabater from JR … Continue reading Escoda Vamos Vamos Vamos
Appellation: Vi de Taula. Cuvée: Brutal. Colour: Red or White or Pink according to year. Grapes: See Vintage Notes. About: JR is a founder of the Brutal label concept now adopted by dozens of natural wine producers. The concept is based on making a wine of which there are only 300 bottles and that’s “off … Continue reading Escoda Brutal
Appellation: Vi de Taula. Cuvée: Vamos Vamos. Colour: Red or White according to year. Grapes: See Vintage Notes. About: In magnum only, each year JR and Laureano Serres of Mendall bring approximately 225L of something “interesting” to blend together and put in magnum a year later. Vintage Notes 2017 To be a blend of Sabater … Continue reading Escoda Vamos Vamos
Appellation: Vi de Taula. Cuvée: La Llopetera. Colour: Red. Grapes: Pinot Noir. About: Pinot in the Conca de Barberá. There’s a famous Cistercian monastery at Poblet, just a few kilometres away and it’s likely the monks brought the grape with them from Dijon. It doesn’t taste anything like Burgundy, of course. It tastes like Escoda, … Continue reading Escoda La Llopetera
Who: Toni and Anna Carbò with Ramon Jane Garriga and Merce Cuscol What: Vi de Taula Where: Penedes, Catalonia, Spain When: Since 2011 Celler La Salada is located in the Penedes close to Avinyonet and Vilafranca, less than an hour out of Barcelona due west. It was founded by Toni Carbò in 2011 with his … Continue reading La Salada-Ramon Jane Garriga
Who: Fabio Bartolomei. What: Vino de España, Sierra de Gredos. Where: El Tiemblo, Avila, Madrid. When: Since 2003. The Story Viños Ambiz is a very small producer of natural wines based just west of Madrid in the now rather fashionable region of Sierra de Gredos. It’s run by Fabio Bartolomei an Italian born and raised … Continue reading Viños Ambiz
Appellation: Vi de Taula. Cuvée: Els Bassotets. Colour: White. Grapes: Chenin Blanc, Sumoll, Garnacha Blanca, Macabeu and Parellada depending on vintage, see vintage notes below. About: A selection of different parcels from the estate, this is really Joan Ramon’s statement of intent. Made sans soufre, it’s clear, energetic, with vibrant fruit, clean, refreshing, above all … Continue reading Escoda Els Bassotets
Who: Joan-Ramon Escoda. What: Vi de Taula, Conca de Barberà, Catalonia. Where: Prenafeta, Montblanc, Tarragona. When: Since 2003. The Story Joan-Ramon Escoda is a pioneer and leading voice of natural wine in Spain. With his wife Carme Sanahuja, he founded the winery in 1997 in the Conca de Barberà region of southern Catalonia, started producing … Continue reading Escoda
