La Gutina - Love for the land!
La Gutina is an 80-hectare estate located in the Aspres of the Albera mountain range, between the Mediterranean and the Pyrenees. Its owners, Bárbara and Juan Carlos, manage the territory with the aim of recovering its agricultural memory, preserving its biodiversity, and respecting the landscape.
The project originates from a family history that dates back to grandfather Juan's return from Cuba, when he acquired the lands then known as Mas Viñas. Later, Lluís Torres, Juan Carlos's father, reinstated wine production at the farmhouse, planting 15 hectares of Grenache and making artisanal wines. Over the years, winemaking ceased and the grapes were sold to large producers, until 2006, when the current owners inherited the estate and decided to revalorize it for its environmental, historical, and landscape heritage.
Currently, they exclusively cultivate their own vineyards, located less than a kilometer from the winery. They have 8 hectares of vines, planted between 1961 and 2000, mainly Grenache in its white, red, black, and hairy variants. The vineyards, located in an environment without neighboring crops and exposed to the Tramontana wind, have a dry climate with an average annual rainfall of 300 mm. The soils are granitic and, in the hairy Grenache plots, are made of quartz-schist with a high clay content.
Agricultural management is based on ecological techniques and minimal intervention. They perform pruning, grafting, and green pruning manually, maintain permanent ground cover, apply organic fertilizers, and use traditional treatments such as Bordeaux mixture and sulfur, integrating them with natural alternatives for pest control. Their philosophy focuses on obtaining healthy and balanced grapes to produce natural wines that reflect the identity of the environment.
The 2022 vintage was characterized by extreme drought and high temperatures during spring and summer. Annual rainfall was 180 l/m², concentrated mainly in September and October. Water stress forced an early harvest to preserve the balance of the grapes.
Technical Sheet – Demontre 2022
Red fruit and earth. Intensity, light tannins, freshness, fruit and licorice on the palate. The charming little devil that will captivate you!
• Production: 6,100 bottles
• Variety: 100% Grenache
• Harvest: Manual (August 21 and 22, 2022), 13 kg boxes
• Winemaking: Destemmed and crushed with 10% whole grapes. Spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts for 12 days and maceration for the same period. Winemaking and conservation in stainless steel tanks, without added sulfites, fining or filtration.
• Bottling: May 2023
• Wine region: Albera (Alt Empordà, Catalonia)
• Plot: Vinya de La Sureda (2.0 ha)
• Soil: Granitic sand
• Exposure/Altitude: North-South / 90 m
• Rootstock: Ruggeri 140
• Training system: Guyot
• Planting years: 2000
• Treatments: Bordeaux mixture and powdered sulfur
• Fertilizer: Sheep compost and pruning remains
• Alcohol content: 13.40% vol