The Latest Arrivals From Vinyes Singulars, Alt Penedès, Catalonia, Spain
For a grower who decides to make over 30 different cuvées from his 20 hectares each year, some in quantities of just a few hundred bottles, we were never going to be able to list everything hardworking Ignasi Segui has to offer all at once. Rather, we've introduced the revolving door strategy - keeping some staples in stock and introducing a bunch of new wines on each shipment. The latest of which has just landed in time for the upcoming seasonal festivities.
If you've not had the pleasure yet, Ignasi is the 22nd (!) generation to farm the family estate, founded in the Alt Penedès as far back as the 1400s. Combining the duty to upholding tradition with a restless, forward-thinking energy, Ignasi established Vinyes Singulars in 2009 as a new way of expressing the 20 hectares of vines that sit amongst a wider expanse of cereal crops, olive trees, vegetable gardens and forest. The entire surface has been certified organic since 2010.
The resulting wines are lithe and energetic, full of fresh citrus, oceanic salts and minerals. Extending on the organic work in the vines, they all ferment with native yeasts, are unfiltered and have no additions. Read the full profile here.
Al Rosa L'Amor S'hi Posa 2022 - £25.75
Fragrant low-gravity pet nat. Xarel-lo and Macabeu on skins for 24hrs, tinted to a peachy sunset pink with a splash of Sumoll. As ever, Ignasi's sparkling wines offer incredible value with each bottle being disgorged by hand.
Xarel-lo Inox 2022 - £25
A wonderful intro to the dominating grape of the estate. Here simply raised in steel with four days on the skins. As usual with this varietal there are savoury spice aromas mixing with pithy Mediterranean citrus, the vibrant acidity tailing long into the finish making for a quenching wine that keeps you coming back for more.
L'Autocaravana 2022 - £29.50
A stunning, highly unique maceration of Xarel-lo Vermell that impressed us so much earlier this year we had to get more - as these things go, it's now tasting even better. Given some depth from time in chestnut, blood orange, pink grapefruit and little red berries hang in the balance with floaty floral blossom and cracked peppercorn spice.
Sumoll Amphora - £28
Another re-stock of one of the most popular wines from Ignasi, this is a salty, tart rosat of Sumoll given time in the eponymous amphora to impart a micro-granular texture to the juice. As much suited to these brisk autumn evenings as it was to the height of summer.
1000r 2021 - £27.50
The bigger, rustic Singulars red we've been waiting to add to the list. Monastrell and Merlot aged in chestnut. Dense, Mediterranean ripeness with a stemmy, charred quality steeped with confected liquorice and wild herbs. On the palate there is softness ever so skewed with a sensation of frayed edges - imperfection, just the way we like it.