Mediterranean Spain: Where to Start?

BY JOSH RAYNOLDS | MARCH 18, 2021

The sprawling area of Spain’s Mediterranean rim starts in Catalonia and sweeps south and west through Penedès, Tarragona, Valencia and Murcia, then west to Andalusia. It also includes, for obvious reasons, the island of Mallorca. The range of wines produced from these sea-influenced zones is staggering, from bone-dry bubblies to structured, world-class reds and some of the most decadent sweet wines in the world. 

The greater Mediterranean wine-producing area, especially Catalonia, produced a large number of outstanding wines in 2018, a vintage that tends to show noteworthy energy and balance. Some of the best wines from Spain’s eastern seaboard that I have ever tasted were made in 2018, especially from Priorat and all the way down to Valencia and Murcia. The warm to hot conditions that marked 2017 conspired to give many wines that show the darker side of the fruit spectrum and greater ripeness. That said, many excellent wines were made in 2017. Their heft and tannic structure should ensure positive aging potential. As for 2016, it was an outstanding year overall. Numerous wines are truly top-drawer, showing excellent balance and fruit intensity but seldom overtly ripe or marked dark fruit character. Two thousand and fifteen was also a fantastic vintage, producing wines of serious depth, power and structure with the requisite acidity to keep them lively and precise. 

The terraced vineyards of Priorat are extremely difficult to work, but some of Spain's greatest wines are grown there.

Growing Seasons: 2018-2015

Two thousand eighteen has turned out to be a very good to outstanding vintage for regions across its Mediterranean rim. A dry winter was followed by a cool spring, with abundant rainfall, which was a relief as most of the area had been struggling with often severe drought conditions back to 2014. The weather was cool, so the fruit matured slowly through the summer, which was a very good thing for acid retention and keeping tannin levels low. Harvest began for most producers on the late side, as there were no heat issues that would have forced rapid or early picking. The resulting wines, overall, both reds and whites, show plenty of energy and bright fruit, with the balance to age but also expressive character that makes so many of them approachable, even now.

In contrast, 2017 was marked by hot, dry conditions and many of the wines show it. Fortunately for the growers there was a decent amount of rain in the winter so ground water levels were adequate, if not perfect. The spring and summer, though, were hot, sometimes very hot, not to mention dry. The vines struggled to produce fruit, especially young vines. Thanks to, or as a consequence of those conditions, most regions were harvested much earlier than normal, which meant that the grapes didn’t sit through a hot late summer and early fall, with their tannin levels building and their acidity dropping. Those low yields have given reds as well as whites that are on the concentrated side and often forward. But it’s not that simple. Growers who opted to hold off on picking, harvested ripe, sometimes super-ripe fruit, producing wines that show dark fruit character and solid tannic structure. This is by no means a homogenous vintage. For example much of northern Catalonia enjoyed a cool September. It was a year where the wines are defined by decisions made in the vineyards.

Two thousand sixteen has shaped up to be a consistently solid and often excellent year across the area. The winter was mild; the early part of the growing season was often cool and very dry, causing the vines to give lower yields than usual. A warm and often hot late summer accelerated sugar levels but not to an extreme, while acidity levels stayed healthy. Importantly, the berries were small in many cases, which gave the wines healthy concentration and, in the case of the reds, good tannic structure. At the same time there’s an overall energy to the best wines that have more than adequate structure and should age positively for many years based on their balance. The 2016s show less brawn and power than their 2015 siblings and should appeal to wine lovers who prize finesse and vibrancy over mass and brute force. 

An outstanding vintage, by any measure and especially for those who like to hold their wines for long aging, 2015 checks all the boxes. Warm to hot weather, with little rain across the Mediterranean coast pushed ripeness along. Cool nights mitigated the heat and helped to keep acidity levels in check with the sugar levels of the fruit. Skins on the grapes were on the thick side so there are definitely tannins in the wines, but not excessively so. The best wines, and there are a huge number of highly successful examples, possess admirable depth and structure, which ensures that they will enjoy a long, positive evolution in the cellar. The fruit profile of the 2015s leans to the dark side, yet few wines come off as jammy or roasted.

Raventos I Blanc's family tree stretches back to 1497, and they are among Spain's elite sparkling wine producers.

Tarragona