Josep Foraster 'Lamoto' Montblanc, Conca de Barbera, 2022

"Josep Foraster is a family winery in Conca de Barberà, created in 1998. They work 30 hectares of vineyards, 22 owned and eight rented, all of them certified organic or in the conversion process, 18 of them with the local red variety Trepat. The soils have limestone, stones, slate and clay, and the vines are at 375 to 650 meters above sea level. They produce 180,000 bottles. In their own words, they've been making red Trepat since 2009 and they look for optimal ripeness, but they prefer to harvest one day early than one day too late, to preserve freshness. In general, they do long macerations (infusions) of more than 35 days in all the wines to extract all their complexity. They like aging in concrete, old barrels or foudres, which respect the delicacy of Trepat. In whites, they always macerate for at least one day with the skin to extract more aroma and complexity. Although they ferment in barrels or small tanks, they do not do bâtonnage, as they seek more depth than immediacy."

Wine Advocate