Bodegas Pirineos 'Principio' Moristel 2023

Here 'Principio' means 'origin' or 'source', and here, it denotes a return to ones' roots by working with the local cultivar. 5000 bottles are produced from vines around 20yo grown in sandy loam, with sandstone and marl at 400-600m altitude. Rainful is 400m or less. High diurnal temperature range promotes polyphenol maturity while protecting natural acidity. 4 components commenced fermentation in stainless. Unwooded, unfined, unfiltered, minimal sulphur, 'just the naturally fermented grape, bottled'. This was fermented with natural yeast.

Smokey-woodsy red fruits, light charred chestnut leaves and fine sour cherry/dried cranberry... you can't help but think of tracking a rabbit with a shotgun in your crook, hunching under encinas, swooshing/crunching through dried grasses, smelling dust and feeling the fresh chill of the Pyrenees creeping in...2017 is less sour than 2016, more generous with a touch of roundness, essentially in the same style, but better. Non-frutale, non-glyceric still, just a bit more-better mouthfeel. Lovely leafy-vegetal-light spice perfume finish has excellent linger.