Partida Creus Litrona Tempranillo 2019

The Litrona Tempranillo is a 1-liter bottling of 100% Tempranillo (known locally as Ull de Llebre, or "eye of the hare") grown organically in the Baix Penedes subzone of Catalonia, Spain. Massimo Marchiori insists the clone used here is the traditional Spanish Tempranillo, distinct from the industrial version Torres introduced and propagated across Catalunya. Vineyards in the Massís de Bonastre sit on calcareous clay soils at 180 to 350 meters elevation, just 5 km from the Mediterranean coast.

Grapes are hand-harvested and undergo a short maceration before pressing into stainless steel tanks, where the wine ferments with indigenous yeasts and ages for a few months before release. No sulfur is added at any stage — a practice Partida Creus adopted completely in 2013. The wine is bottled unfiltered and unfined, in the one-liter format Massimo and Antonella call their "Litrona" project.

The result is a light-to-medium bodied red built for immediate drinking, with red fruit, earthy minerality, and a savory spice edge. Chill it down slightly — it drinks best closer to 55F than room temperature. At 12% ABV, the format and weight make it an easy pour for a weeknight table.