PIRENE

We’d like to share another tangible and bottled result of the project to bring back ancestral varieties that the Torres family has been working on for over thirty years.

Today the fifth generation—helmed by general manager Miguel Torres and RDI director Mireia Torres—keeps the project moving forward with great enthusiasm. Halfway between archaeology and viticulture, the project contributes to the rediscovery of Catalonia's winegrowing heritage, as well as aiding efforts to adapt the vineyard to the effects of climate change.

“As an enologist, it is incredibly exciting to work with completely unknown varieties and getting the chance to experiment. It's like contemplating a blank canvas.”

Josep Sabarich, Technical Director at Bodegas Torres

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PIRENE: AT HOME IN THE HIGHLANDS

Today we're looking at a red variety called Pirene, which grows on the Torres family's estate in Tremp, in the foothills of the Catalan Pyrenees, at an elevation of 950 meters.

  • The county of Pallars Jussà in the province of Lleida lies in the northernmost corner of the Costers del Segre appellation of origin and is a small gem awaiting discovery.

  • The climatic conditions resemble those of cool continental climates and reflect the influence of the nearby Pyrenees. We're talking about a dry climate with areas marked by extreme conditions, such as below-zero lows in winter and highs of about 35 degrees Celsius in summer.

  • The variety has quite a deep color and is dense and brilliant. The nose displays generous amounts of seductive and lively red fruit with a mineral and spicy nuance that produces a highly expressive sense of structural organic unity. The midpalate is exquisitely smooth and surprising in its texture and refinement with richly flavorful, sensuous fruit, yet fresh all the way through to the finish.

FACTS ABOUT PIRENE 2016:

In the vineyard:

  • Budbreak: Early April
  • Budbreak: Early April
  • Growth Habit: Semi-upright
  • Surface Area: 2.16 ha


YOU MIGHT LIKE THIS WINE IF...

  • You love the sensation of getting lost in a forest of pure red fruit when you bring the glass to your nose in a wine tasting.
  • You want a wine to reveal its identity and origin.
  • You love varieties like Pinot Noirin young wines, but at the same time you are nonconformist.
  • You're a fan of wines with a fresh aftertaste.

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