Josep Grau El Pas de L'Estudiant 2022

100 % Garnache aus einer alten Parzelle die 1947 gepflanzt wurde, in Capcanes (Montsant); nur 1,5 Hektar mit steinigem Kalkstein-Boden ergeben eine Jahresproduktion von 3344 Flaschen; der Weinberg grenzt am oberen Ende an einem Weg, den die Kinder von Serra d'Almos täglich gehen mussten, um in die Schule nach Capcanes zu kommen, ein täglicher Marsch von 5,5 km, daher auch der Name "El Pas del Estudiant", also der Weg der Schüler; Handlese im September, die Trauben werden entrappt und in einem konischen 2000 l Fass des österreichischen Meister-Küfers Franz Stockinger vergoren, der Wein reift für 14 Monate in ovalen Stockinger-Holzfässern, nach der Gärung wird abgepresst und der Wein reift für 14 Monate im gleichen Stockinger Fass; 14,5 % vol. Hochwertiger Naturkork.

- Notizen des Weinguts: „Its name comes from the path that crosses the upper part of the vineyard and that the children of the Serra d´Almosused to walk to Capçanesto go to school. A daily journey of 5 and a half km.
In the glass, the wine shows an ethereal presence that surrounds and fills us with aromas, showing the small red fruit that reminds us of the cherries. It´s a pure, clean and vibrant wine, which makes us keep an eye on its evolution in the glass and which arouses admiration with every minute that passes by its complexity. In the mouth it is a wine of great depth, touches ocherry in the throat gives us the dimension of its concentration full of Finesse.“

From Revolution to Evolution: The Garnatxas and Cariñenas of Priorat & Montsant (Nov 2024) by Joaquín Hidalgo: “A long-time wine lover, Josep Grau made a small fortune in finance before turning to his passion. He started in Priorat in 1993, purchasing a vineyard in Capçanes, Montsant in 2003 and setting up his winery there a couple of years later. In 2016, he returned to Priorat with the purchase of a farmhouse in Gratallops. Grau has produced wines in diverse styles over the years. Today, he crafts finely tuned reds made with Garnatxa and Cariñena, delivering plenty of flavor without stylistic exaggeration and exploring the more delicate side of these varieties.“

- 97 Punkte, VINOUS, Joaquin Hidalgo (11/2024): „The 2022 El Pas del Estudiante is 100% Garnatxa from vines planted in 1947 in Capcanes, Montsant. This infusion-like red wine delivers praline and sour cherry aromas, along with undergrowth, orange peel and damp earth. Light and lean, the fine-grained stem tannins offer a faintly rough mouthfeel, complemented by a joyful finish. This wine pursues a radical style, akin to a light Pinot Noir, or as Josep Grau says in Spanish, „una Garnatxa que pinotee“. It´s a superbly nuanced wine. Drinking Window: 2025-2038“

- 96 Punkte Club Oenologique, Pedro Ballestreros Torres MW (01/2024): „Simply amazing, a complete surprise: this wine is full of delicacy and floral complexity, with nice supporting fuit that provides a lovery aromatic background. The mouthfeel is suave and delicate, with a perfumed fruit expression – deceivingly restrained but very persistent. The real wine, quite densely structred, shows itself little by little, offering a multilayered finish and leaving a nice memory of ist touch. An artist´s wine: joyous.  Drinking window: 2024-2032“

- 95 Punkte James Suckling (09/2024): „A pure and immaculate nose full of vibrancy, with complex notes of grilled oranges, racy strawberries, minerals and a chalky, peppery edge. Refined and transparent but also vertical, with a mineral pithiness at the end. Long, ethereal and tactile. What a wonderful Montsant. Delicious and irresistible now, but can hold.“

- 95 Punkte, Guia Penin (2025 Scorings): „COLOUR: light cherry; AROMA: mineral, expressive, balanced, red berry notes, ripe fuit, wild herbs; FLAVOUR: fruity, juicy, spicy, easy to drink, long;"

- 94 Punkte und Tipp JoS, Josef Schreiblehner: „14,5 % vol; Die Farbe erinnert an einen Pinot Noir; Mittleres Rubinrot mit silbernen Wasserrand; ruhiger, eleganter, feiner Duft strömt aus dem Glas, mit Aromen von reifen Weichselkirschen, etwas schwarze Kirschen, rote Beeren, kühle Röstaromen, nasser Kalkstein, Mineralien, Cranberries, feine Kräuternote; am Gaumen mit mittelkräftiger+ Säure, feinkörnigen Tanninen von sehr guter Qualität, wirkt frisch und lebendig, energiegeladen, frische Textur, sehr mineralisch-salzig, beweglich, mundwässernd, aber auch leicht wärmend, eher subtil als laut, feine Klinge; profitiert von Luft, zeigt immer wieder neue Facetten wie dunkle Frucht, Röstnoten und auch Minze; vielschichtig, langer Abgang. Unbedingt Dekantieren. Zalto Burgunderglas. Ein kühler Wein  mit "good vibrations" für Liebhaber und Sommeliers! 94 Punkte."

- 94 Punkte Parkers WINE ADVOCATE, Luis Gutiérrez (05/2024): „The pale and delicate 2022 El Pas de l'Estudiant red comes from a plot of the same name, a slope located in the village of Capçanes, at 450 meters in altitude and with limestone soils. It was planted in 1947 with a field blend of approximately 90% Garnacha Peluda, 7% Cariñena and 3% Garnacha Blanca. On the palate, it has more power and energy, plenty of fine-grained but abundant tannins, a dusty and chalky sensation and some rustic earthiness—could it be the Garnacha Peluda? It fermented and matured in a 2,500-liter Stockinger foudre. This might need a little bit more time in bottle and/or powerful food. It's powerful and ripe without excess at 14.5% alcohol while keeping the freshness, balance and acidity. This comes from the 1.8 hectares that survived, as it was abandoned and Grau is in the process of restoring it to its original size of four hectares. 3,305 bottles were filled in July 2023. Drink Date: 2025-2032“

The wines from Josep Grau Viticultor, who works in Montsant (mostly) and a little in Priorat, seem to be getting better and better. This is a name that usually flies under the radar and deserves more recognition. In 2020, he purchased a vineyard in Capçanes, El Pas de l'Estudian, from which he now produces a new wine under that name. He now has 14.5 hectares of vines in the village of Capçanes and 18 in Marçá in Montsant and 10.5 hectares in Gratallops in Priorat.

I tasted wines from 2021 and 2022, two very different vintages. 2021 was marked by the January snowstorm that brought up to 80 centimeters of snow in some places and plenty of rain through the season, which was cooler than usual. He talks about "delicate, ethereal reds with good structure and depth." As for 2022, it was extremely dry with successive heat waves and was saved by 48 liters of rain on July 6th. The wines are more fragrant, but he tries to keep the line of the 2021s.

- 94 Punkte, TIM ATKIN, Special Report Catalunya 2024: „ Afeld blend of mostly Garnacha Peluda, Carinyena and Garnacha Blanca. Subtleearthy and structured, with a herbal, savoury character to complement the red fruits.Very young and alive on the palate, where the favours brighten and last well into the finish. Understated and absolutely lovely. 2022-2032

- Ausgewählt für WORLD'S BEST SOMMELIERS' SELECTION: „Full and generous on the nose with lots of intense aromas. Juicy primary fruit with ripe strawberries, blueberries and brambles, red plum and a touch of almond. The palate is dry with crisp acidity and a high level of grippy, well integrated tannins. The warming alcohol is well balanced by the fruit intensity, Juicy attack on the palate with a pronounced flavour profile. Rich mid palate texture and long finish.
FOOD PAIRING: This wine has a certain vibrancy that needs to be paired with a delicate meat dish such as pigeon breast cooked medium rare with red wine jus.
The Origin of El Pas de l'Estudiant: El Pas de l'Estudiant comes from a vineyard that was planted in 1947. The farm is located 400m above sea level in a northerly direction, it is reached by a narrow path that used to be the route that children from the village of Serra d’Almos took to go to school in Capçanes, which is why it carries the name Passage of Students.
A Historical Journey: It was a 5km daily round trip. The 4ha farm was planted with Hairy Grenache (its leaves are hairy) in the lower parts, white Grenache and black Carignan in the upper parts. The estate fell into disrepair due to an accident that caused the death of the owner. Of the 4 hectares, 1.8 have survived in perfect condition. Joseph Grau intends to return the farm to its original state of 1947, respecting all the old terraces and its wonderful topography.
Reviving Tradition: The first vintage of this wine was 2021, when they produced a selection of the best strains of the vineyard to see their current potential and assess the reproduction of these same strains for their vegetative recovery. The 2022 vintage is harvested as a field blend, harvesting all the varieties at the same time as was done in the initial years of this estate.
Winemaking Process: The grapes are co-fermented with their own yeasts in a 2,500l Stockinger truncated conical oak vat and then aged in the same vat for a period of 8 months. It is bottled directly from the same tank."