Coca i Fitó Aloja Blanc DO Terra Alta Montsant 2021

Coca i Fitó’s youthful, fresh 2021 Aloja Blanc DO Terra Alta typifies the vivacious mineral-driven style of white wine for which Terra Alta and Montsant are renowned. Made primarily (90%) from old vines of Grenache Blanc (30-60 years of age) and a touch (10%) of mature Macabeo, which has had considerable lees contact to provide flavor and texture, the 2021 Aloja Blanc DO Terra Alta offers a subtle, yet intriguing bouquet of floral, mineral, and herb tones. In the mouth, the 2021 Aloja Blanc truly expresses its vivacity with acacia flower, green apple, and citrus flavors wed to the region’s racy, thirst quenching minerality. With additional bottle age, dried honey, peach, and hints of incense and wood smoke may emerge, but why wait? This baby is ready to go from the moment it is poured. For optimal enjoyment, we suggest serving Coca i Fitó’s 2021 Aloja Blanc moderately chilled (40°-45° F). Anticipated maturity: 2023-2025. Enjoy!

Although those seeking fresh, terroir driven, un-oaked white wines will want to sip and savor the 2021 Coca i Fitó Aloja Blanc DO Terra Alta with abandon and nary a morsel, others will want to pair it with the finest seafood, spicy chicken, or Asian stir fries. Miquel Coca i Fitó suggests serving grilled tuna steaks, red snapper, or mahi-mahi with his wine. Shrimp Provencal, Soft Shell Crabs, and even Lobster Stuffed Ravioli in a creamy tomato sauce also make splendid accompaniments to this wine. Thai Chicken with Basil, Red Curry Chicken or Shrimp, and Sautéed Scallops and Pistachio Nuts prepared in a cream sauced with shallots and herbs provide equally compelling companions. Simple, uncomplicated fare provides a strong case, too, as Coca i Fitó’s 2021 Aloja Blanc is equally at home with simple fresh ingredients as is with spicy sauces. Buen Provecho!

Coca i Fitó is a dynamic and innovative winery located in the village of El Masroig in DO Montsant, and it is the creation of brothers Toni and Miquel Coca i Fitó. Aloja is one of the special projects of the Coca i Fitó brothers who specialize in DO Montsant and DO Terra Alta wines. They work with old vines, many of which are 60-100 years of age and more. Their wines are made primarily from indigenous, local grape varieties, namely Grenache and Macabeo for white wines and Grenache and Carignan with varying amounts of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon for Aloja’s red wines. The name, Aloja, is derived from Catalan mythology: water nymphs whose beauty is incomparable, that lead all who partake into a world of fantasy.

Toni Coca i Fitó is an experienced Catalan winemaker who has dedicated most of his life to the research and study of viticulture and the relationship between soil types and vines. Brother Miquel studied culinary arts and hospitality before diving into the world of wine in 2000 as an exporter of wines and Cavas. Together, Toni and Miquel launched Coca i Fitó in 2006. Today, they craft superb wines from Montsant, Terra Alta, Priorat, Emporda, and Ribeira Sacra as well as produce a small quantity of estate grown, organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil from the eponymous Coca i Fitó vineyard in Montsant.

Although many wine drinkers have become acquainted with the fine wines of Spain and the names Rioja and Ribera del Duero are now familiar entities in wine stores and restaurants, Catalonia’s Montsant and Terra Alta remain relatively unknown. A sparsely populated comarca (county) to the southwest of Barcelona, Montsant remains off the beaten tourist track. The same obscurity can be claimed by the nearby appellation (Denominación de Origen or DO) of Terra Alta.

Montsant and Terra Alta display a rugged, breathtaking landscape of high mountains and sheep-studded pastures in which every village and hamlet appears steeped in history. What sets these regions above other, more renowned wine producing areas are their expanses of ancient, ungrafted vines of Garnacha (Grenache) and Cariñena (Carignan, also known locally as Samsó) to which varying amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Macabeo may be added. Montsant and Terra Alta share similar mineral-rich soils, too. The results are distinctive natural-tasting, mineral-driven red and white wines.