The plot

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

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.

How do you select single-plot wines to include on a restaurant's menu? What considerations do you take into account?

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.

What different characters can we find in wines?

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”

“Son los pequeños matices los que los convierten en únicos”
Raúl Igual
How did you discover single vineyard wines? And specifically, how did you start your relationship with Luis Alegre's single vineyard wines?

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.

What are the distinctive characteristics of Luis Alegre's single-plot wines? What would you highlight about each of them?

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.

How do producers select the plots for their wines? What are the fundamental criteria?

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.

Parcela Nº1 Parcela Nº1
What challenges have you faced as a sommelier and how have you overcome obstacles?

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 BLANCO”

“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