IGP Côtes Catalanes: Domaine Ferrer-Ribière 'Empreinte du Temps' Grenache Blanc 2017
The 'Empreinte du Temps' Vin de Pays Catalan is a rich, slightly oxidative, straw-coloured wine with a complex palate with an almost briny quality, of grilled nuts and minerals, and sherry-like undertones prior to a gently warming, long, resonant end note.
Tasting Notes
One of Bruno and Denis' earliest acquisitions was a parcel of very old vine Grenache Blanc from which they make this wonderfully idiosyncratic wine called 'Empreinte du Temps'. It makes a brilliant foil for a local cuisine rich in olives, anchovies, aubergines and peppers.
Style | White Wine, Sec, Medium-bodied, Non Sparkling |
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Wine Region | Roussillon, Vin de Pays Catalan |
Grape Variety (Cépage) | Grenache Blanc |
Food & Wine Matching | Olives, Smoked Fish |
Viticulture | Organic |
Vintage | 2017 |
Cellarage | Drinking well now but will age well in the medium term, 2-5 years from vintage. |
Vinification | Low yields of hand harvested, organically grown (but yet to be certified) grapes from 77 year-old vines, are fully de-stemmed before being vinified in used oak barrels and vats. The wine is cleared by careful decanting and is bottled during a waning moon when the Tramontane wind arrives in April. |
Alcohol By Volume (%) | 14 |
Producer

Domaine Ferrer-Ribière (Denis Ferrer & Bruno Ribière)
In 1993 Denis (an experienced fruit grower) and Bruno (a wine loving civil servant) joined forces to establish Domaine Ferrer Ribière - they have since gained an international reputation for their highly individual handcrafted wines. Denis and Bruno typify a new wave of young Southern French winemakers with low capital investment but exacting production values dedicated to making characterful wines with a true expression of terroir from local grape varieties.
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