The plot
Parcel Nº1
"Interpreting the personality of each wine is one of the most difficult tasks of the sommelier"by Raúl Igual, sommelier.
Raúl Igual
Born in Teruel in 1979, Raúl is still passionate about wine. His professional recognition has been in crescendo since in 2010 he won the award of Best Sommelier in Spain, a title that he would revalidate in 2021. After this first great achievement, he represented Spain in the world sommelier competition held in Tokyo in 2013 and in the Best Sommelier in Europe competition held in Monaco that same year.
In 2015 he became part of the Aragonese Academy of Gastronomy and, a little later, obtained the title “Advanced Sommelier” by The Court of Master Sommeliers in London. In this nº1 of La Parcela we talk with him, as it could not be otherwise, about parcel wines.
First and foremost, they must always have a base of quality, cleanliness, and winemaking work that is consistent with the project. Then, I look for wines that are capable of showcasing the particularities of a place, a climate, or a terroir, always knowing that every year they will have different details that will make them unique.
Every wine is unique, some show a rougher character, others show a lot of finesse, some need years to be able to show their full potential..., it is necessary to interpret the personality of each one to know when is the best time to open them, it is one of the most difficult tasks of the sommelier.
DESCRIPTION on PARCELAR WINES
They must always have something in common with the rest of the wines from the region, but it is the small nuances that make them unique, that is why the sensitivity of the taster is necessary to be able to interpret those details. They are diverse because of it is elegance or finesse in the mouth, sometimes it is a more marked acidity, sometimes it is a particular aroma that only a type of soil can show..., it is never the same, and each wine manifests it in a different way.
“It's the little nuances that make them unique”
I discovered it when a winery decides to reveal it, usually it is the winegrower who knows when one grape is different from the others, it is the one who works the vineyard who knows it better, then it is the capacity and sensitivity of the winemaker who must be able to show that differentiated character and must know how to tell it.
Luis Alegre's wines gather all these aspects that I have mentioned, and then they really show that noble and unique character. The work is difficult, it takes years of testing to find the key since each wine reacts differently, despite the experience that the winemaker may have, there is always doubt about how the wine would have been shown if he had been acted differently at some point in the wine´s life,. It's wonderful.
I consider that even single-plot wines always have something in common, in the case of Luis Alegre's wines, it is an "earthy" aroma, integrated between its fruity aromas and those of aging. It is not easy for a wine to show this type of aroma, only the most complex wines develop it, and these wines have it.
Another of the most remarkable aspects is their elegance in the mouth, they are voluptuous wines, but at the same time, their body is round and the balance is impeccable, it is intrinsic in them.
It is the winegrowers who know which plots have a differentiated character, some are due to their orientation, others to the type of soil, others to the altitude of the plot, others to the scarcity of water, the acidity due to the microclimate of the place, the age of the vineyard..., the criteria can be diverse although there will always be one that stands out above the others, that the quality is uniform year after year.
Anecdote about the search for unique wines
In 2013, I took a trip to Hungary with a good friend, looking for the best plots in areas that were little known to us. In the middle of January in the Somló region and with half a meter of snow at -10ºC, we were unable to find the winery we had gone to look for. However, moved by instinct, we appeared in the middle of a spectacular vineyard nestled in a basalt soil, the people from the winery soon saw us rummaging through the vines and came to see who the two "geeks" were wandering around. It was a lot of fun.
Wow! many, especially tough were the sommelier competitions, national and international, the studies of The Court of Master Sommeliers or and the work challenges at the restaurant, but the truth is that I have overcome all of them the same way, with work, study, perseverance, and listening to people who are able to motivate.
“REÑANA WHITE”
Is there any lesser-known wine that you consider a hidden gem within the Luis Alegre range?
I love La Reñana white, I think it has great aging potential, I like to see the evolution of white wines, it is a wine both to enjoy now and to keep
Recommendations and Pairing Advice
Do you recommend any book, online resource, or event for wine enthusiasts?
For someone who wants to study, evolve, and wants to have a consultation book, that also arouses curiosity to continue learning, is "The Oxford Companion to Wine" by Jancis Robinson, a wine essential, with a lot of content, and a lot of rigor.
For those wishing to explore single-plot wines, do you have any recommendations on how to get started or what regions to investigate?
Of course, they should start with Burgundy, it is without a doubt the wine region that has best and for the longest time understood the importance of terroir. The "parcellation" there is done naturally, interpreted uniquely.
Would you recommend specific pairings for single-plot wines? Are there foods that particularly complement these specific expressions?
It is very complicated but yes, it can be done, but it is something that needs to be worked on in the restaurant, with a kitchen team capable to listen to the sommelier and who also allow themselves to adapt to the specific needs that each wine requires. A good team is needed to reach that level.
Curiosities
Have you noticed any changes in customer preferences or in wine production?
Yes, without a doubt. We live in a time where we have information in hand, the client can accesses to it at any time. This allows greater knowledge of the projects, and clients are influenced by the philosophy of the project. Aspects such as sustainability, exclusivity, and originality are now above names or regions.
Have you observed any interesting innovation in winemaking techniques used for single-plot wines?
There is a need to produce in small quantities since it is the way to maintain the particularity of each plot. Producing in micro-vinifications requires extra work in the wineries, as the risk of oxidation in small productions is greater, so it is necessary to care more about the wines throughout the winemaking process. However, although technology has advanced a lot and new techniques have been developed, in many artisanal wines, the focus is returning to tradition.
Stories and Traditions
Are there any interesting stories or traditions associated with the production of single-plot wines in certain regions?
Of course, what happens is that in Spain those stories or traditions have not yet been made known., and each area has its own but only people from the area know them. In other countries such as France or Italy, they have made sure that the world knows them, Burgundy, Champagne, or Barolo, for example, are a good example of this.
Where is the key to combining evolution and tradition? How has it been carried out since Luis Alegre?
The key is to trust people, it´s to see the passion of people behind the projects, trust them, and let them evolve. I think that´s life about, if we don't trust people around us we have nothing left. Luis Alegre has known how to interpret this perfectly.
Personal Experiences
Can you share any memorable personal experience with a single-plot wine? Has the unique expression of a plot ever pleasantly surprised you?
Many of the memories we have in our lives are linked to aromas, when you smell that aroma, it has the magic to transport you to a moment. Some of my best memories are linked to single vineyard wines, enjoyed or discovered at a moment and with some of the people I appreciate the most. Wine makes us feel the need to share it with the loved ones, and many of the single-plot vineyard wines are something like our trophies, that makes me want to share them with the people I love.