portfolio ➜ Wines ➜ Sotolon Selections
Garnatxa d’Empordà
Garnatxa d’Empordà is one of a family of aged, oxidative sweet wines that have been produced in greater Catalunya for nearly three centuries. Under the auspice of the Empordà DO, it can be made with late-harvest Garnatxa grapes—blanca, roja or negra—hand-harvested from the windswept hills of northern Catalunya, abutting the French border. Fermentation is halted via mutage, and the wine is subjected to a long, oxidative aging process that can vary significantly according to producer.
Espodol Solera Garnatxa d’Empordà NV
Spain ➜ Catalunya ➜ Empordà DO 15.5% ABV
15.5% ABV • Fortified, Oxidative
Celler Espolla’s Solera Garnatxa d’Empordà is regarded as one of the finest and most prominent of its tradition in Catalunya. Late harvest Garnatxa blanca and rosat grapes are picked by hand and co-fermented with native yeasts in epoxy-lined concrete tank. The fermentation is arrested via mutage, and the wine begins a lengthy, oxidative odyssey through a four-tier solera that was inaugurated in 1950; small quantities are bottled a maximum of once per year. Dark amber, seamless and layered, it shows dried apricot and cherry, roasted hazelnut and sweet/smoky baking spices. Served at cellar temperature, it can be enjoyed with a wide variety of cheeses and desserts. Once opened, it will keep well for 8-12 weeks. Full details
