Tros Negre 2013 1500ml Magnum

The Tros Negre 2013 is a single-varietal Grenache from Montsant that, after more than a decade in bottle, shows real maturity without losing its freshness. Dry, 14.0% alcohol, yet built with finesse: Alfredo Arribas is after elegance and drinkability rather than concentration.

Tros is Catalan for piece or parcel. For Arribas, the name stands for wines from single, characterful vineyard sites. The architect from Barcelona followed the memory of his grandfather's vineyards in 2001 and today farms over 80 hectares between Priorat and Montsant. Many of the vines grow on their original rootstock, some nearly a hundred years old. The wine is bottled in Gratallops.

Pure Grenache from organically, and increasingly biodynamically, farmed vineyards. In the cellar the same principle applies as at the drawing board: leave things out. Native yeasts, brief maceration, minimal sulphur, along with the approach of his winemaker Juan Asens: to intervene as little as possible, and as much as necessary.

Garnet red in the glass, with a brick-coloured rim. On the nose, ripe blackberry and sour cherry, underscored by thyme, bay leaf and a touch of leather. The palate stays taut, with fine-grained, dry tannins, while the acidity keeps the dark fruit in motion. The finish is long, spicy and mineral.

The magnum ages more slowly than a standard bottle, and this vintage shows it: more definition, more tension, less fatigue. A mature Montsant that gains rather than fades with air.