Iglesia Vella, Côtes Catalanes blanc IGP 2020

Wine Description for Iglesia Vella Côtes Catalanes blanc IGP 2020 by Roc des Anges

Colour & Appearance

Pale straw yellow with a silvery shimmer at the rim – a wine that already hints at its origins from ancient slate soils through its visual appearance.

Nose

Initially nobly restrained, the Iglesia Vella opens up in large glasses to reveal a reductive, almost meditative aromatic profile. Wet stones dominate, accompanied by red apple skin and white flowers. Like a South French still life, dried herbs, shell fragments and lemon leaf arrange themselves into a harmonious whole – precise, without redundancy.

Palate

Here the true nature of this wine reveals itself: mouth-watering salty-mineral, austere and sinewy like a greyhound. The texture recalls ground stone flour with the fineness of emery paper – an invigorating tactile quality carried by noble phenolics. The moderate alcohol content of 12.5% vol. underscores the elegance and drinkability. The acidity is perfectly integrated and gives the wine its rapid, positively electrifying drinking flow.

Finish

Long, saline and ethereally cool – the finale impressively underscores the slate origins and leaves an impression of crystalline purity.

Terroir & Origin

The Iglesia Vella parcel (old church) was planted in pure slate in 1954 and provides the white counterpart to the red Las Trabasseres. The slate soils give the wine its profound minerality and characteristic saline note – Marjorie and Stéphane Gallet affectionately refer to their „rock wine“.

Grape Variety & Vinification

100% Grenache Gris from vines over 65 years old. Roc des Anges works biodynamically and is today among the leading addresses of Roussillon with 30 hectares on a mosaic of different soils.

Food Pairing Suggestions

Perfect with turbot in grapefruit beurre blanc, salad of young courgettes with olive oil and fennel pollen or surprisingly also with kid goat with Mediterranean herbs. The salty minerality harmonises beautifully with seafood and shellfish.

Special Characteristics

A wine that rewards patience and demands large glasses. The noble phenolics and moderate alcohol make it a modern classic of Roussillon – demanding and delightful in equal measure.