Sending out an S.O.S. - Oriol Artigas' 2020s

4/13/22 -

We are huge fans of Oriol Artigas, as a gentle soul and as a passionate winemaker. Though only making wines for around 10 years, he has become well known in natural wine circles, and his wines have wowed drinkers across the globe. Situated in the small town of Alella, just north of Barcelona, Oriol has been working with sandy, granitic vineyards overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, mostly planted to the local Pansa Blanca grape, which seems to be accepted as a relative of or a local version of Xarel-lo.

His whites and reds (normally from Garnatxa and other local grapes) are fresh, full of energy and life, always clean and very direct. There is a precision and a seriousness to his wines, even though they often drink in a playful way, and every year we look forward to trying his new vintages!

In 2020, Oriol unfortunately experienced a sudden attack of mildew on his parcels in June. Unlike any mildew attack Oriol had seen in his life, it came extremely fast, and wiped out nearly all of his grapes. In an effort to stay afloat, as he has very little if any reserve wine to sell, he sent out an S.O.S. to friends in Spain, Mallorca, and as far as Australia! Aside from one library release of his single vineyard La Bella bottling, all of the wines we are offering today will likely never be made again, and represent not only the guiding hand of Oriol's winemaking vision, but also the good will he has in the world, from being such a friendly and heartfelt human being. When he first began his project, barely paying his own rent and working with old vinegrowers in Alella, Jose Pastor paid him in advance for wine he had not produced yet, as a gesture of confidence and I can only guess because of Oriol's passion and positivity. The grapes that he received from friends in 2020 represent a continuation of this history, and reflect on Oriol's personality as much as his skill as a winemaker.

If you are curious to read more about his fantastic project in Alella, please check out one of our first articles, and the follow up from Ben Fletcher after his visit in 2019.