Penya Rosé IGP Côtes Catalanes
WHY WE LOVE IT
- Yields of just 2.3 tons/acre. Vines average 35 years in age.
- Vineyard holdings consist of 1000 acres with 400 of those dedicated to red varietals.
Varietal Composition: 90% Grenache Noir, 10% Syrah.
Elaboration: The Grenache component was produced using the saignée method. Direct pressing, with no maceration for the Syrah. Temperature-controlled fermentation in traditional cement tanks. No malolactic conversion. Matured 3 months on the fine lees and bottled young.
Tasting Notes: Offers fresh aromas of Rainier cherries, garrigue, and hints of red raspberry and melon. Rich, full-bodied, yet bright on the palate.
PRESS
n/a
PRODUCER BACKGROUND
Located in Roussillon, about fifteen kilometers west of Perpignan, the cooperative cellar is located in the village of Cases de Pène. “Pena” means “rock”, the village has been around since the Middle Ages and the nearby Castle was built in a rock on the mountain dominating the valley of Agly. Their cellar was founded in October 1942 by a dozen winegrowing families from the village and has since proudly carried its name, Château de Pèna.
Several more families have joined since then and now there are about twenty families of cooperators. Their vineyard is located at the gates of the Agly Valley, one of the 3 valleys of our department of the Pyrénées Orientales and on the first foothills of the Corbières. A Mediterranean landscape where vines rub shoulders with garrigue, almond and olive trees. South-facing marl and black schist soils are a favorite terroir for their Côtes du Roussillon Villages Protected Designation of Origin production and even their Côtes Catalanes IGP. The area is still known as “French Catalonia” and they celebrate this heritage with the Catalan spelling of the ancient Château and village Cooperative: “Penya”.