Octonia Gran Reserva 2014
Elegant and complex aged red from Montsant
Octonia Gran Reserva 2014 is an expressive blend of garnacha tinta, garnacha peluda, and cariñena. The family winery Serra i Barceló carefully tends to the vines planted in 1940 on rocky terraces and steep slopes in the Tarragona municipality of Els Guiamets, which are the unique origin of this exceptional Gran Reserva from the D.O. Montsant. Limited production.
Consumption features
Serving temperature
General features
Type of wine
Region
Grape variety
15% Cariñena, 35% Garnacha peluda, 50% Garnacha tinta
Type of barrel
French oak barrels
Type of bottle
Burgundy Bottle
Barrel aging time
18 months
Capacity (cl)
75
Alcohol content (% vol.)
15
General Information
Octonia Gran Reserva 2014 is a magnificent representative of the D.O. Montsant. The climate of great contrasts, the rugged and harsh orography, the uniqueness of its native varieties, with garnacha and cariñena as standards, and the winemaking tradition, passed down from generation to generation, make the reds produced in this rising region unique wines, increasingly appreciated by critics and the public.
The family winery Serra i Barceló produces its top wine from a manual selection of the best clusters from two plots, the Els Ponts and Mas d’en Fornos estates, with clay-loam, sandy, and calcareous soils, located at an altitude between 350 and 400 meters above sea level.
The meticulous work in the field carried out by Serra i Barceló continued in the winery throughout the entire winemaking process of Octonia Gran Reserva 2014. Fermentation with the skins was carried out in 400-liter barrels, concrete eggs, and stainless steel tanks, malolactic fermentation also took place in wood, and the 18-month aging was done in fine-grain French oak barrels and 40% of the total, on its fine lees, in concrete and 180-liter terracotta amphorae. The result is a balanced, elegant, and complex red from the D.O. Montsant, with limited production and a notable aging potential.
Tasting notes
Medium-high layer with a clean and bright garnet color with ruby rim.
On the nose, it surprises with its varied aromatic palette ranging from red fruits and floral notes to herbs from the Mediterranean forest (garriga), with touches of balsamic and licorice, and a slight mineral background.
In the taste phase, it presents as smooth, broad, and voluminous. With silky tannins, balanced acidity, and a long, fresh, and persistent finish.
The winery
Winery
Serra i Barceló is a small family winery with its own vineyards planted in the 1940s. It produces and markets its wines under the Tarragona designations of origin Montsant and Terra Alta. In Montsant, the vineyards of the native varieties garnacha blanca, tinta, peluda, and cariñena that the winery works with are located on steep slopes, on stone terraces. In Terra Alta, garnacha is also the main protagonist of its wines and is situated in the area that was once home to the famous Castell d’Aucalà.