Andorran RIESLINGs created a surprise during this 26th edition of the Mondial des Vins Blancs Strasbourg last April.
Let us first recall the geographical location and history of one of the smallest countries in Europe. With an area of only 468km2 and nearly 80,000 inhabitants, this territory is nonetheless full of treasures in terms of culture, leisure and gastronomy.
Did you know that the Grand Council, the parliament of Andorra created in 1419, is the oldest in Europe and that 10% of the territory is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site? Rivaling the Vatican in terms of the number of museums per m2, Andorra is also imbued with Romanesque architecture through the 40 bell towers that stand proudly there. It is also the only country in the world where Catalan is the official language and where the population is naturally trilingual, easily adding the Spanish and French to their linguistic skills for generations.
Andorra is a Pyrenean principality nestled between France and Spain, an oasis made up of 90% mountains, forests, lakes and meadows. It has 65 mountain peaks including Coma Pedrosa which peaks at 2942 m and fans of hiking and skiing can indulge in it to their heart’s content and then relax in the waters of Caldea, the largest spa resort in Southern Europe.
An art of living where gastronomy retains an important place. Cold cuts, meat, cheeses and marmalades are prepared in the traditional way. What a pleasure to taste them and enhance them with local beer or wine pairings !
It is the Andorran estate BORDA SABATE which particularly interests us.
It is the largest wine estate in the region with 2.5 hectares and an average of 4000 bottles produced per year with two references: for the white it is “ESCOL” 100% RIESLING and for the red a blend of CORNALIN, MERLOT and SYRAH named “TORB”. The principality’s annual production amounts to around 30,000 bottles for a vineyard which extends over 7 hectares.
Managed by Joan Albert FARRÉ SANTURÉ, this estate was the nice surprise of this 2024 edition with two wines presented and 2 double award-winning wines:
“RIESLING ESCOL” 2017 and 2015 SANT JULIA DE LORIA totally won over our international expert judges !
The BORDA SABATE Riesling plots of organized on terraces at 1190 m altitude on a shale terroir and oriented towards the Mediterranean Sea benefit from a South and East exposure and abundant ventilation. The result is a vertical wine with beautiful acidity and a very present freshness, a Riesling which tells us the unique history of the Andorran mountains and its people.
This success is the result of long-term work and qualitative collaboration established over time in terms of oenology consulting. A few vintages after its beginnings in the 2000s, the estate called on the expertise and monitoring of a French leader in the wine world, Alain GRAILLOT, the famous winemaker from Crozes-Hermitage and president of the Wine Academy from France, explains Joan Albert. Sadly he left us in 2022.
BORDA SABATE dedicates these great awards to Alain GRAILLOT and we pay tribute to him at the same time.
Yes, Andorran wine is an age-old tradition maintained for a long time by the monastic community. Disappeared in the 19th century following the ravages of Phylloxera combined with operating difficulties linked to the very mountainous configuration of the vineyard (average of 2000 m altitude for the country), viticulture has experienced a revival since the 2000s. Today, 5 daring wine estates are in heroic activity. Indeed, according to the specifications of CERVIM, an international organization which supports mountain viticulture, on steep slopes and on small islands, the conditions are entirely met to qualify the work of the vineyard in Andorra as “heroic viticulture”.
30/05/2024