Iglesia Vella Côtes Catalanes blanc IGP 2020

Marjorie and Stéphane Gallet met at the agricultural college in Perpignan, but initially went their separate ways. It was their shared passion for horses and later wine that brought them together again. At that time, Stéphane worked on a larger farm in Maury, while Marjorie gained her first practical experience in biodynamics in Calce near Gauby. In 2003 she borrowed money from friends and started her own business. The site was actually called Roc Blanc, named after a white quartz vein protruding from the black slate. However, Marjorie decided to rename it Roc des Anges. In the meantime, the winery is one of the top addresses in the region and comprises 30 hectares of vines on a mosaic of different soils.

The Iglesia Vella was planted in 1954 on pure slate, consists of 100% Grenache Gris and is the white counterpart to the red Las Trabasseres. The slate soils give the wines their profound minerality and distinctive salty perception in the long finish, which is why Marjorie and Stéphane always refer to this wine as their "rock wine". 

Pale straw yellow with a silver tapered rim.

The 2020 Iglesia Vella shows noble restraint on the nose, large glasses make it seem a bit more talkative after a while. Then it tells of wet stones, red apple skin and white blossoms in a firm voice. Reduced like a Southern French still life, everything is in the right place, a bouquet of dried herbs along with some mussel shells and lemon leaves complete the painting.

With its mouth-wateringly salty minerality, the Iglesia Vella is both demanding and delightful. Sparse and sinewy, it is reminiscent of a greyhound, and its rapid drinking pace certainly gives this analogy a tailwind. Ground rock flour with the calibration of the finest sandpaper gives it its animating feel, which is additionally fuelled by noble phenolic. The acidity is wonderfully integrated and carries it into the salty, ethereally cool finish.