JOAN D'ANGUERA

Monstant, Spain

Joan d’Anguera is one of our oldest partners in Spain. We’ve been proud to work with them and represent their wines in the US since André first met the father of the current owners over 16 years ago.

Josep d’Anguera the elder had made a name as the man who introduced Syrah to the region. After he passed away, his two sons Joan and Josep took over, under the guidance of their mother Mercè. Since then, they have been working on defining their own style and putting their unique mark on the wines.

This process has led to numerous developments. One is the conversion to biodynamics: the 2012 vintage was the first to be certified by Demeter. Others include the introduction of techniques such as crushing by foot and de-stemming only partially. There are also changes in aging vessels: the use of new wood is being dramatically reduced in favor of older barrels, foudres, and cement tanks. And the brothers are focusing less on Syrah and more on Garnacha (or “Granatxa,” the old Catalan name for the grape), a grape with a longer history in this region.

The greatest statement of this new direction can be found in the Altaroses, a wonderfully restrained and elegant expression of the Montsant terruño. With great purity of fruit, it is much lighter than what you might expect from a Montsant Garnacha, a true everyday drinking wine.

In Altaroses, the two brothers seem to have truly found their voice, and we can expect great things to come out of this estate in the future as the Angueras move forward with the implementation of their vision.

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