The Catalonian Hinterland

(Continued from “The Catalonian Littoral” on 28 August 2015)

Situated along the western boundary of Catalonia bordering Aragón, Costers del Segre (literally: banks of the Segre) is Catalonia’s most inland wine region. Introduced by the Phoenicians, viticulture and winemaking in the region well predated the Carthaginians, Greeks and Romans.
Due to its inland location, the climate and terroir of Costers del Segre would best be described as harsh: semi-arid with on average less than 400mm of rainfall per year; extreme seasonal and diurnal variation ranging from 35˚C to -5˚C; poor soil dominated by dark lime with low clay content. Fungus infection is not a problem, but drought and hailstorm are major threats. In these relatively elevated vineyards between 250m and 700m asl, gnarly old vines with low yield are producing high quality grapes with character and concentration consistently.
Stretching from Lérida (Lleida is Catalan) and Tarragona, Costers del Segre covers much distance from north to south, comprising a wide range of soil compositions and local mesoclimates, with 7 sub-regions: Pallars Jussa, Artesa de Segre, Segria, Raimat, Valls del Riucorb, Les Garrigues and Urgell. Speaking of which, the Bishop of Urgell is particularly important in the realm of international relations, for His Excellency is the ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, the joint heads of state of the landlocked and only Catalan country in the word alongside the President of the French Republic.
A Denominación de Origen (DO) since 1988, Costers del Segre is the first wine region in Catalonia to permit international varieties. It would be no surprise, therefore, that Costers del Segre’s list of permitted varieties is the longest in Catalonia, comprising not only the Cava trio and the Spanish mainstay, but also Bordeaux and Rhône blends, as well as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Gewürztraminer. Cooler areas are generally planted with white varieties for Cava production, whereas warmer places tend to produce red wine ranging from Crianza, Reserva to Gran Reserva. This is an all-round wine region producing Cava, white, rosado (rosé) and red wines.

Tomàs Cusiné Drac Magic 2009
A blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Cariñera, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from vineyards at ca. 600m asl. Dark garnet with carmine-rosso corsa rim, the savoury nose offers cranberry, red cherry, cinnamon, bouquet garni, sous bois and geranium. Anchored by vivacious acidity and juicy tannins, the complex palate delivers blackberry, black cherry, prune, vanilla spice, nutmeg and rooibos tea. Medium-bodied at 13.5%, the fleshy entry continues through a spicy mid-palate, leading to a moreish finish.

Tomàs Cusiné Llebre 2009
A blend of Tempranillo, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha, Cariñera and Syrah from vineyards at ca. 600m asl. Inky garnet with cardinal-carmine rim, the floral nose presents redcurrant, red cherry, nutmeg, star anise, oaky vanilla and violet. Buttressed by lively acidity and ripe tannins, the scented palate supplies black cherry, prune, liquorice, clove, mocha and sandalwood. Medium-bodied at 13.5%, the generous entry carries onto an expansive mid-palate, leading to a spiced finish. Jacky I.F. Cheong

Jacky I.F. Cheong is a legal professional by day and columnist by night. Having spent his formative years in Britain,
France, and Germany, he regularly writes about wine, fine arts, classical music, and politics in several languages