Antología Miguel Torres

Familia Torres provided sommeliers and wine writers with a first look at the new vintages of its flagship wines — those of the Antología Miguel Torres collection — at two events recently celebrated at the Penedès winery and in Madrid, respectively. The wines are the 2018 vintages of Mas La Plana, Reserva Real, and Grans Muralles, and the 2019 vintages of Milmanda and Mas de la Rosa: five wines from three appellations of origin and two very different vintages that express the uniqueness of each vineyard at its most exuberant and food-friendly.
 

Presenting the new vintages of the Antología Miguel Torres collection, Josep Sabarich and Miguel Torres Maczassek

Five vintages of five outstanding wines united in their shared elegance and freshness:

Mas La Plana 2018

The home of Familia Torres is also the home of the legendary Mas La Plana 2018: Penedès. Mas La Plana 2018 is the result of fifty years worth of work and a deep understanding of each parcel that comprises the 29-hectare estate. Nowadays the vineyard adheres to the principles of regenerative viticulture in order to create a natural ecosystem where soils regain their fertility in addition to preventing erosion, building biodiversity, and combating climate change. Flanked by the Foix River and one of its tributaries, the Riera de Llitrà, the vineyard is divided into three parts based on elevation and the composition of its alluvial soils. Each parcel is vinified and aged in a different manner.
 

Working with various batches of Cabernet Sauvignon has resulted in an expressive, lively wine with plenty of fruit, enveloped in the complexity imparted by oak ageing. “The wine is still young,” Josep Sabarich explained, “And it will mature exceptionally well in the bottle given the characteristics of this vintage.”  

Mas La Plana from DO Penedès, Familia Torres property. 

Reserva Real 2018

What makes Reserva Real 2018, the second Penedès in the collection, so remarkable are the llicorella slate soils of the small 4-hectare vineyard of Les Arnes — soils which are unique in the region. The characteristic freshness of this vintage is also perceptible in the wine, although less so than in Mas La Plana given how the soils here have a lower water holding capacity. The three varieties that make up the blend are vinified separately in a more classic style, with longer skin contact, resulting in a well-structured palate and more defined tannins.

Reserva Real from DO Penedès, a Familia Torres property 

“We want these wines to express the landscape, history, and tradition. They are higher in acidity, with a greater emphasis on fruit over oak, and seek the right balance to reveal their most exuberant side.” Miguel Torres Maczassek (5th Generation Familia Torres)

Grans Muralles 2018

Grans Muralles originates from Conca de Barberà, near the Poblet monastery, and embodies the first tangible example of Familia Torres’s efforts to recover ancestral varieties, a project the family has been pursuing since the 1980s. Grans Muralles was conceived in 1996 as a blend of indigenous varieties, among them the ancestral grape Garró. At present it includes five varieties, primarily Cariñena, which adds structure, and Garnacha, which adds fruit, but each one of the other varieties — Querol, Monastrell, and Garró — leave their imprint on the wine. On the palate, Grans Muralles 2018 reveals the freshness of the vintage, enveloped in finesse, length, and tension, making this a very age-worthy wine.

Grans Muralles from DO Conca de Barberà, a Familia Torres property

Mas de la Rosa 2019
 

Mas de la Rosa is the true and honest expression of a 1.9-hectare vineyard in Porrera planted with vines that are over 80 years old.  This is the fourth vintage of a wine championed by Miguel Torres Maczassek who was captivated by the incomparable beauty of the vineyard. This small Priorat enclave brings us a delicate wine, exuberant in spirit, with an elegant personality crafted from Cariñena and Garnacha whose essence is revealed through shorter skin contact. “We are seeking a wine that conveys a delicate kind of elegance,” states Miguel Torres, “Because this is how we understand this particular landscape.”
 

Mas de la Rosa from DOQ Priorat, a Familia Torres property 

Milmanda 2019
 

Milmanda 2019, the only white wine in the Antología collection, brings us back to Conca de Barberà. The wine originates from the Castell de Milmanda estate, flanked by the Sec and Francolí rivers and sheltered by the mountains of the Sierra de Prades, which give the climate a continental character. Both the climate and the deep clay soils are ideal for growing Chardonnay. The standout characteristics of this new vintage are its freshness and aromatic complexity, resulting in a long delightful evolution across the palate, full of nuances, with one giving way to the next and generating new sensations.

Milmanda from DO Concà de Barberà, Familia Torres property