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

12 Raul

Raul Acusp

Castell d’Encus Raul Priorat Ferrer Bobet

Costers del Segre DOP

Pinot Noir

13%

750mL

(Robert Parker’s rating: 95 points)
2021 Acusp 2020 11 12

11,800 150 2024 3

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. Acusp, means the top of the mountain.

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:
Red/Rouge (Still)

Grape Varieties:
Pinot Noir

ABV:
13%

Volume:
750mL

Tasting Notes:
(Robert Parker’s rating: 95 points)
The 2021 Acusp is closed, younger and more austere than the 2020 that I tasted next to it. The wine had a very slow malolactic fermentation in barrel that lasted some 11 months, and the wine matured in oak foudres for a further 12 months; but the effect of the wood is unnoticeable in the aromatics and flavors. It has an ethereal quality and something mysterious, blood orange-like, perfumed, subtle and insinuating, really fine-boned and elegant. The tannins are very elegant and fine-grained. 11,800 bottles and 150 magnums produced. It was bottled in March 2024. (Reviewed by Luis Gutirrez)