Appellation: Arribes
Cuvée: Puesta en Chus
Colour: Orange
Grapes: Puesta en Cruz
About: another unique indigenous variety making for a stunning wine, given the orange treatment 10 days on skins. The grape’s name means literally to be put on a cross. Chus is Thyge’s nickname in Spain (given the difficulty in pronouncing it for all non-Danes) while it’s also a “nickname” for Jesus. So it’s a real mix up of themes. 2021 is the first vintage AND the first vintage Puesta is permitted as a single varietal in the DO.

Vines

Location: from several parcels near Fermoselle.
Size ha: 1.
Age: vines planted 2013
Soils: sand, granite, gravel.
Exposition: north west facing.
Altitude: 740.
Training: on wire – but not out of choice. Thyge has some old Puesta in his vineyards but not enough to make a wine so this is purchased fruit from the only vineyard in Arribes that’s 100% Puesta, a vineyard which was part of an experiment 20 years ago and in those days wire was the default solution (still is for convenience but not for quality). Thyge is planting but it takes time, naturally.
Farming: Sustainable.
Average yield hl/ha: 30-45
Climate: Mediterranean with an Atlantic influence, cold in winter, hot and normally dry in summer, with cool, fresh nights.

Winemaking

Pretty much same as the red except for ferment in open oak 1000 L barrels as well as plastic. Manual harvest in boxes of 16 kilo, first selection in vineyard and then a selection in the cellar before being put whole bunch un-crushed into tank to ferment. Sees a daily pump over. In effect, a semi-carbonic process. Pressed off in a pneumatic press after 10 to 12 days of maceration to finish ferment and complete malo in 225 L used French oak barrels. Racked, a touch of SO2 added and ages in barrel for 5 months. Very light filtration at bottling, otherwise no stabilisation or clarification and no additives except for SO2.

Vintage Notes 2021
Good vintage. In the Spring, 200m rain fell. Summer was dry with cool nights. Overall it was cooler than 2020, more like 2019 with good quality and quantity. Normally the harvest takes around 3 weeks due to different altitude of the vineyards. However, 3 weeks in 60 mm of rain fell so the grapes from the last week were diluted and lower in alcohol. In style the wines are fruity with great acidity and meant no sulfites was required initially and until after the malolactic.
Yield hl/ha: 38
Harvested: September 15
Bottles produced: 2900
Date bottled: 2022-03-11
Alcohol %: 11
SO2 Total: 18
Tasting: 2022-11-19 lively and very fresh, with complex peach and spicy kumquat, persimmon, earthy notes