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Evodia Old Vines Garnacha Altovinum 2018 (750ml)
Evodia is an exciting project in the Denominacion de Origen Calatayud, hailed as one of Spain’s most progressive and promising wine growing regions. Calatayud is distinguished by its prevalence of high elevation vineyards planted to the Garnacha variety. In fact, it boasts the highest in the entire country. The vineyards surrounding the small town of Atea reach upwards of 3000 feet, which is the highest within the DO. It is here, in the vineyards of Atea, that Altovinum sources their Garnacha grapes for Evodia. In addition to the high elevation’s remarkable climate, the property is comprised of pure schiste soils, known as pisara in the local area. Aficionados familiar with the wines of the Priorat and the Roussillon are well acquainted to this soil type and its extraordinary influence on the wines.
These vineyards were ferreted out by the amazingly talented Altovinum team: Yolanda Diaz, Jean Marc Lafage and Eric Solomon. Yolanda Diaz, a native of Calatayud, has an intimate knowledge of the DO and its terroir, so her relationships in the region are an invaluable asset to the project. The winemaking is placed in the capable hands of dynamic enologist, Jean Marc Lafage, who leading wine critic Robert Parker referred to as “irrepressible.” Jean Marc consults on projects worldwide and owns one of the Roussillon’s visionary wineries, Domaine Lafage. And finally, Eric Solomon, who through his import company, European Cellars, represents the finest Grenache producers in the world.
Evodia Garnacha Altovinum 2018
Evodia is sourced from Garnacha from the villages of Atea, Acered and Alarba. Located in the Sierra Santa Cruz, these steep sites (up to 25%) have various exposures but share similar soils – slate and quartzite over clay. At an average elevation of 900 meters above sea level, these vineyards are among the highest sites within the province of Aragon. This unique terroir and the old vines of Garnacha rooted in it, are the origins of Evodia.
Location: Aragon, Spain
Primary Appellation: Calatayud
Proprietor: Eric Soloman, Jean-Marc Lafage & Yolanda Diaz
Winemaker: Juan Vicente Alcañiz, Jorge Temprano & Jean-Marc Lafage
Size: 160 ha
Elevation: 800 – 1000 meters above sea level
Soils: Schist
Vine Age: 40–100
Varieties: Garnacha
Farming: Sustainable
Harvest: Manual
Fermentation: Hand harvested, destemmed but not crushed, 20 day fermentation in concrete vats, 7 day gentle post-fermentation maceration.
Aging: 6 months in concrete tanks (80%) and neutral French and American oak barrels (20%)
Cellar: Hand harvested, fermented in tank aged in tank and French oak demi-muids
Evodia Old Vines Garnacha Altovinum Description
Evodia
Scientific studies into the origin of Garnacha indicate that it most likely originated in Aragon, the ancient Spanish kingdom situated between Catalunya to the east and Castilla to the west. From there it spread throughout the rest of Spain and up along the Mediterranean coast. Heat loving and drought tolerant it is perfectly adapted to generous climate of the Mediterranean only giving way to the even more heat-loving Monastrell as you move south into Valencia and Murcia. It can make for gregarious or serious drinking depending on where it is grown, the age of the vines and when it is picked. It is capable of making pale, vibrant and thrilling wines like those from the Sierra de Gredos, dense wines with rich flavors like in the Priorat and everyday pleasurable wines such as those that come from its place of birth – Calatayud, Carineña and Campo de Borja.
Calatayud is a fairly innocuous and rural region of Spain. As far as the eye can see the hills and plains are blanketed by a patchwork of head-pruned Garnacha vineyards, olive and cherry orchards and fields of grain. Just to the north of Calatayud is Campo de Borja, Navarra and Rioja Baja, so this sea of Garnacha is a small part of a wider ocean. Much of the inexpensive and pleasurable Garnacha sold in the US comes from these regions in Spain and Eric Solomon was an early pioneer and proponent.
Years ago while working on a project in Calatayud, Eric Solomon met Jean-Marc Lafage and Yolanda Diaz. Yolanda is a native of the region and knows the terruño of Calatayud better than anyone. Jean-Marc is the very talented Catalan winemaker and consultant from the Roussillon in France. Together they “discovered” a unique place within Calatayud, a high and arid plateau between the villages of Acered and Atea and bordering the Sierra de Santa Cruz. At 1000 meters above sea level this is the highest part of the DO of Calatayud. Even more interesting is that the soil here is pure schist, the same soil one can find in the Priorat and in Maury where Jean-Marc was born and where he runs a small estate, Château Saint-Roch. This unique terroir and the old vines of Garnacha rooted in it, are the origins of Evodia.
European Cellars
From Rock to Rhône... and beyond
If you would have asked a young Eric Solomon what he wanted to do when he grew up, he would have told you he wanted to be a rock drummer, or a classically-trained percussionist, in earshot of his parents. So at 18 he found himself in London as the understudy to the principal percussionist for the London Symphony Orchestra as well as a rock-drummer in several bands. Neither position paid well, so it was pure luck that walking into his neighborhood wine bar looking for employment, he would discover his true vocation. Starting as a bartender, the lanky yank caught the attention of the proprietor for his aptitude and eagerness to learn and soon he was making selections for the wine list. Eventually he was sponsored to the Institute of Masters of Wine where he excelled in its rigorous course of study. Unfortunately this was cut short when the UK government realized that he had overstayed his student visa.
Washing up on the shores of Manhattan, the young, wine-savvy twenty-something immediately found employment as the Director of Fine Wines for a Fortune 100 Wine and Spirits company learning much that would serve him well when he founded European Cellars in 1990. From the start, Eric championed unheralded wine growing regions and promoted young, innovative winemakers. His initial focus was France where he was an early proponent of the wines of the Rhône, the Languedoc and the Roussillon. His growing reputation in Europe as a new, dynamic and successful importer prompted Daphne Glorian to send him, unsolicited, a sample of her wine, Clos Erasmus in 1993. This wine would change Eric’s life professionally and personally.
Daphne had a similarly unconventional path to wine. Initially she trained in the law and while working in the Paris office of an English Master of Wine she met Rene Barbier. Moving to the Priorat in 1988 at the urging of Rene, she invested her life’s savings in 17 terraces of vines near the village of Gratallops thereby becoming one of the founders of the modern Priorat. Daphne would go on to establish her own cellar, Clos i Terrasses, and become the first winemaker in Spain to achieve back-to-back perfect scores for her wine Clos Erasmus in 2004 & 2005. In the intervening years she not only met her enthusiastic American importer but eventually agreed to marry him. With his allocation of Clos Erasmus secured, Eric began to explore the rest of Spain and has assembled a Spanish portfolio as innovative and distinctive as his imports from France.
Eric Solomon Selections has grown over the years from a few estates to now just over 90 properties. In addition to his original import portfolio, European Cellars, Eric established Indigo Wine in 2015 with a collection of smaller estates from emerging regions, or young growers shaking up established appellations. Despite the name on the back of the bottle - European Cellars or Indigo Wine – both portfolios are selected by and imported by Eric Solomon.
For his pioneering efforts, Eric has been recognized by Robert Parker as his Wine Personality of the Year for 2002, remarking, “Solomon has a great talent for ferreting out spectacular wines from France and Spain. The quality of these selections is remarkable.” In 2006 he was awarded Best Importer of the Year by Food and Wine Magazine and he has been a James Beard semifinalist for Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Writing in celebration of European Cellars’ 25th anniversary, Robert Parker followed on his earlier praise, writing, “I first tasted with Eric in 1991/1992, and I have watched him grow as an importer to the point where he may be the finest in the United States.”
