A place: Vilabella. A vineyard: Cartoixà Vermell. Two couples and a common project to pay tribute to the Mediterranean rosés with a low alcohol content.

After long table talks and discussions between Oriol Pérez de Tudela, Mercè Salvat, René Barbier and Sara Pérez, they wanted to prove that rosés with a low alcohol content had their own personality, and they proved it by recovering some varieties, like the Sumoll (Montmell), the Trepat (Conca de Barberà) and the Cartoixà Vermell (Vilabella). Unfortunately, out of all the projects, only the last one was successful, and with it the Escabeces wine was born.

A traditional local variety, from the Gaià river area, in the region of Tarragona, which has been gradually lost because of its low yielding and its rather thick skin. A very rustic grape variety which has been refined in order to show the varietal typicity in the finest and most balanced possible way.

The estate, which is very productive, and also one of the few remaining with this variety, has been worked in order to concentrate its low alcohol content production and with little chance of maturing. The first two vintages produced an extremely tannic and very diluted wine which was not put on the market. Finally, the 2016 vintage was made like if it was a black wine macerated with the skin during fermentation in order to obtain its pink colour and a noticeable minerality. Its ageing process in clay and wood finishes up and refines this wine with little fruit in the mouth, but which is also of an extreme fineness. A dry, botanic wine marked by the citrus emitted by the grape variety.
Maturity, complexity, concentration, infusion and freshness in balance. A chance to discover a grape variety and a landscape in Tarragona full of nuances and arguments of their own.

A picture chosen by its creator take us to the Balcó del Mediterrani in Tarragona with Lily Brick and the JJBertran studio. It evokes Tarragona in the 1950, René’s grandfather’s vinery and the wines that he made, the wines of that period… those memories…