Castel Pujol 'Folklore Carbónica' Rivera 2022

Quico Carrau Pujol collaborated with the University of California Davis in 1973 to find a terroir suitable to plant virus-free vines. After analyzing different soils in southern Brazil and northern Uruguay, they stumbled upon a property in Rivera, Cerro Chapeu, with sandy, reddish soils that had low fertility and spectacular drainage. And just like that, the new project found a happy home. Fast forward to the present, this ‘carbònica’ is made completely of arinarnoa (a crossing of tannat and cabernet sauvignon) planted at 250 meters above sea level, whose whole berries are kept in a closed tank then pressed, finishing fermentation with selected autochthonous yeasts in a new stainless steel tank. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, this wine serves as a testament to wine being a living, breathing entity, evolving with each and every swirl in the glass. Almost cassis-like, expect concentrated dark fruit like overripe plum followed by a surprising crunch of cranberry and a hint of bloody iodine. Soft grained tannins beg for this to be served slightly chilled. Chuggable vampire juice, we said what we said. Sustainably grown, low-intervention/natural wine, vegan.