Joan d'Anguera 2021 Montsant 'Planella'
Pairs with: Grilled rosemary-garlic lamb chops, a rich wild boar or venison stew, smoky charred eggplant (escalivada) drizzled with premium olive oil, a rustic duck confit, or wood-fired wild mushroom flatbreads.
Good for: Showing a wine enthusiast the wild, savory majesty of old-school Catalan Cariñena; anchoring a cozy, slow-cooked weekend dinner; or experiencing a premium, biodynamic Spanish red that values chiseled mineral structure over heavy, jammy extraction.
Grape: A Cariñena (Carignan) dominant blend, masterfully woven with Garnatxa (Grenache) and a small, structured splash of Syrah.
I am from: Finca Planella, Darmós, Montsant, Catalonia, Spain (Perched on cooler, north-facing slopes carved into ancient limestone and clay).
The Story: If the sister cuvée "Altaroses" is a masterclass in the ethereal, fluid side of Garnatxa, "Planella" is a dramatic love letter to the rugged, untamed soul of Cariñena (Carignan). Crafted by the visionary brother duo Josep and Joan d'Anguera, this bottle represents the deeper, more architectural side of their historic estate in Darmós. After famously turning their backs on the heavily extracted, oak-driven blockbusters that dominated the 1990s and 2000s, the brothers transitioned their entire property to strict, certified biodynamic farming in 2012 to let the raw voice of Montsant shine.
To craft this cuvée, the brothers look directly to the north-facing slopes of their prized Finca Planella vineyard. In the blistering, sun-drenched Mediterranean climate of Catalonia, a north-facing orientation is a stroke of viticultural genius. It completely shields the old vines from the most punishing afternoon heat, forcing the grapes to ripen at a slow, measured crawl. This helps the thick-skinned Cariñena retain its vital, lip-smacking natural acidity while developing intense, deep flavor profiles.
In the cellar, the brothers stick strictly to their low-intervention philosophy. The intact whole grape clusters are foot-crushed and spontaneously fermented with wild native yeasts inside large concrete tanks. To ensure the voice of the stony clay-limestone soils arrives in your glass entirely unmasked, the wine bypasses new wood completely, aging peacefully for 12 to 14 months in old, neutral oak barrels.
Why You'll Love Me: It is intensely aromatic, beautifully texturized, and wonderfully savory—a medium-to-full-bodied red that delivers plenty of dark, brooding Mediterranean character alongside an incredibly fresh and athletic pulse. In the glass, it pours a deep ruby-purple color with bright magenta outlines. The nose is wonderfully atmospheric and complex, instantly greeting you with a fragrant bouquet of blue plums, wild blackberries, and tart red cherries, seamlessly layered with elegant undertones of dried blue flowers, white pepper, wild garrigue herbs, and a faint, sophisticated whisper of black licorice.
On the palate, it delivers a gorgeous structural surprise; thanks to the naturally muscular framework of Cariñena, it hits with a sturdy, fine-grained, and slightly chewy grip of tannins that gives the wine an exceptional, rustic table presence. Yet, it never feels heavy or hot—a driving beam of cool-climate freshness cuts cleanly through the dark fruit, pulling the blend into a remarkably long, dry finish defined by a mouthwatering saline-mineral crunch and a lingering, savory trail of cracked black pepper and forest earth.
