Robert Parker: 92+

Tim Atkin: 93

Hudin: 92

() Taleia “The Sound of Silence”,

Castell d’Encus Costers del Segre Torres Raul Bobet 1,000 Talarn

12 Raul

Raul Taleia (obsession)

Castell d’Encus Raul Priorat Ferrer Bobet

Taleia

Costers del Segre DOP

13%

750mL

Sauvignon Blanc

5

(Robert Parker’s rating: 92+ points)
2021 Taleia Sauvignon Blanc Sancerre pH 3.06.2 (terpenic) 50%

13,600 50 2022 6

Castell d’Encus is one of Spains most exciting and visionary wine estates, founded by Raul Bobet, former head winemaker at the iconic Torres winery. In 2001, driven by a desire to craft wines less affected by climate change, Bobet discovered the remote village of Talarn, perched 1,000 meters high in the Pyrenees subzone of the Costers del Segre appellation.

This dramatic altitude brings intense diurnal temperature shifts, lending purity, freshness, and elegance to the wines. But what truly sets Castell d’Encus apart is its revival of ancient winemaking methods: the estate features 12th-century hand-carved stone lagars, once used by monks, now restored and repurposed for natural fermentation. Today, most of the wines begin their journey in these historic vats before aging in stainless steel or oak.

Bobets approach is deeply philosophical and sustainable. The wines are crafted with minimal interventionno chemicals, low sulfurand the entire estate is powered by geothermal energy. Many of the wines are named in Sanskrit or after the vineyards where the grapes are grown, reflecting a meditative and site-driven ethos. Taleia, means obsession in Catalan, a fitting tribute to Bobets relentless pursuit of purity and precision.

While the ancient process is remarkable, its the results that truly matter: wines of clarity, complexity, and emotional resonance. Bobets work at Castell d’Encus is complemented by his role at Ferrer Bobet in Priorat, a joint venture with entrepreneur and wine lover Sergi Ferrer-Salat, where he continues to explore the potential of mountain viticulture.

Appellation:
Costers del Segre DOP

Country of Origin:
Catalonia, Spain

Type:
White/Blanc (Still)

Grape Varieties:
Sauvignon Blanc

ABV:
13%

Volume:
750mL

Vinification
Fermented with indigenous yeasts, part in new oak barrels and the rest in small stainless steel vats and stone pools, where it matured with the lees for some six months.

Tasting Notes:
(Robert Parker’s rating: 92+ points)
The 2021 Taleia was produced with Sauvignon Blanc grapes in search of a wine with similarities with a white from Sancerre, and it’s round and velvety with very good freshness (pH 3.0) and acidity (6.2 grams). It doesn’t have the excessive terpenic notes the variety can deliver and is more citrus and flowers than gooseberries and cat’s pee. Part of the wine fermented in new French oak barrels (unnoticeable) and the rest in small stainless steel tanks and their ancient stone lagares, all with indigenous yeasts. Fifty percent of the volume was in barrel with the lees for five months. 13,600 bottles and 50 magnums produced. It was bottled in June 2022. (Reviewed by Luis Gutirrez)

Music to go with:

Erik Satie -Gymnopdie No. 1