From Catalunya with Love... and no SO2! - Cosmic, Escoda y La Rural

Over the last few weeks, we've received some stellar, energetic, psychedelic wines from a slew of natural wine producers who farm vines and make wines in the vicinity of Barcelona. We've been tasting some of these wines year after year (with the exception of newcomers, La Rural), and the underlying theme for these wines is how "clean" they are. Joan-Ramon will admit himself that Escoda-Sanahuja wines have at times been mousy (a term referring to a bacterial flavor component often present in the finish of wines made without any added SO2 - this is admittedly a very insufficient explanation but you can search and read about "mouse in wine" or "mousiness" or "goût de souris" for more information). In 2021, 2022 and 2023 the wines have been fantastic, with high acidity, pure fruit and lovely balance. Though they may not wow you on day two, they are delicious on day one! Cosmic Vinyaters and La Rural wines are in lockstep, brilliant and exciting on the palate. We know using the term "natural wine" will already turn some folks off, and continues to even irritate winemakers who are technically making wines that would be defined as natural* (if you would like to read more about how we would define natural wines, feel free to email us at office@chambersstwines.com). That said, there is no way around that these wines are different, vibrant, fleeting in a way but most importantly soulful and exciting to the senses. We invite you to Catalunya for a taste of the countryside and the wines from some of our favorite producers!

Escoda-Sanahuja

Chambers Street Wines has been around for so long, and written so extensively about small producers all over the wine-making world, that I often end up reading past articles that we wrote when I'm doing research for a new article! With that in mind, it came as a surprise to me that we never in our 23 years wrote an article about one of the grandparents of the Spanish natural wine scene, Joan Ramon Escoda, from the Escoda-Sanahuja winery! We have of course included Escoda's wines in Spanish offers over the years, and several NARF (New Arrivals and Returning Favorites) newsletters, but we never wrote a bio as a stand-alone article! Today we'll remedy that!

Joan spent his early years working in a large cellar in Catalunya and traveling the vineyards of France. His experiences helped guide him to the biodynamic farming and natural wine movements, especially after experiences with Lapierre and in the Loire Valley with longtime friend Thierry Puzelat. In 1999 he began a winemaking project in his wife’s village, Conca de Barberà, which is near Montblanc. In 2003, Joan made his first wine with no added sulfites, and as of 2005, he began making all of his wines without sulfites. Joan founded PVN with his friend Laureano Serres. It’s the first association of natural wines in Spain. Each year they organize H2O, a wine fair that only accepts wines without sulfites. The family cultivates over ten hectares of olive groves, almond trees and vines, as well as a vegetable garden. There is also a small farm with chickens, turkeys, sheep, cows and horses! Joan has created a biodynamic life cycle on this farm, using their own compost to support all of their projects.

From the beginning the vineyards of Escoda-Sanahuja have been biodynamiclly farmed using organic preparations made on site. There are a wide variety of grapes planted, including international varieties that Joan personally loves and of course, local varieties native to Conca.

Natural fermentation is always approach with winemaking. Joan Ramon has experimented with many aging and fermentation vessels, and uses a combination of stainless steel tanks, old barrels, and LARGE Spanish amphoras for aging. The wines are always made completely naturally and as simply as possible.

Salvador Batlle is from a winemaking family in Penedès, but moved to the Empordá region just south of the French border, to start a project called Cosmic Vinyaters. Farming is fully Biodynamic, wines are made without any added sulfites, and he seems unable to make a dark and powerful red wine - all of his "reds" are genuinely light on their feet, low in alcohol, and positively...cosmic (for lack of a better word!). Though he works with Malvasia, Macabeu, Sumoll, and a bit of Cabernet Franc, his focus is on Garnatxa and Carinyena (Grenache and Carignan). He works with the full spectrum of these varieties, using the white, gray and black grapes in different blends. Salvador started with 3 hectares of vines and has slowly expanded, but not by much. What has expanded exponentially is his grasp of the vineyards, and his winemaking, which one could say he's finally dailed in. Like Joan Ramon's wines, which have had their ups and downs, the new releases from Cosmic are singing and super expressive, with high acidity and ethereal fruit.