Roig Parals La Botera

La Botera, from Roig Parals, is a blend of Cariñena grapes (80%) originating from century-old vines and Cabernet Sauvignon (20%). An interesting coupâge which brings together two apparently dissimilar types - the femininity of the Cariñena and the masculinity of the Cabernet - to produce a balanced, rounded and extremely pleasant wine at a very good price.

Roig Parals is a small family-owned winery at Mollet de Peralada, in the Alt Empordà region, set up by Santi Roig and Mariona Parals, with vine-growing in their ancestry, and running a modest and unpretentious operation, virtually unknown until in 2012 Jancis Robinson announced that its Camí de Cormes 2007 was her favourite red from the region. It was unbelievable the amount of interest aroused thanks to her appraisal of that single varietal Cariñena. This is a winery which works exceedingly well, its wines reflect the region’s personality, true for the reds as well as their white and rosé, and their prices are affordable; so a producer worth getting to know in the Empordà.

On the nose, it is the Cariñena which defines the wine’s character, with its fruitiness and refinement. It seems rather shy to begin with but gradually starts releasing its seductive qualities, exhibiting ripe fruit, earthy notes (the parcel contains a lot of flint in the ground), gently balsamic… The nose is sensual, accompanied by fresh peppery hints and smoky nuances, more appropriate to Cabernet. Dissimilar or not, the truth is that these two varietals complement each other perfectly in this fresh and considerably complex wine (bearing in mind the price bracket it sits in).

On the palate, it is a complete wine, with a pleasing entry, ripe fruit (ripe plums and raspberries too), a certain amount of body yet light and easily drinkable. A wine with just six months of barrel-ageing, not overly powerful but juicy, with the wood well-integrated, good backbone and smooth tannins.