The new vintage of this experimental project is a blend of Malvasía and Xarel·lo with spontaneous fermentation and crushed by foot
It is called Únic (unique) because each year is different. And this is precisely the premise on which the Únic wine project was born eleven years ago now: bottling those experiments that, year after year, we carry out in the winery and that never make it to the market. With the desire to share these experiments that are our bread anb butter, L’Olivera begins to bottle and market these unique microvinifications, which will never be repeated.
The 2022 wine, which has just been released, is the sixth edition of this unique project. It is a coupage of Malvasia (50%) and Xarel·lo (40%) and a small proportion of Garnacha blanca and Parellada. A coupage that highlights the work that L’Olivera has been doing for years in the recovery of the Malvasia, a variety that in Vallbona de les Monges gives good balances between alcohol content and acidity and that gives the wines a very interesting explosion of floral aromas.
It is also a wine with minimal intervention, continuing the line started in the previous Únic vintage and which is also one of the lines that the Vallbona de les Monges winery has been working on in recent years.
Thus, for its preparation, a pre-ferment was prepared with Xarel lo which was crushed by foot on September 10 2022 and left to start spontaneous fermentation. Later, the fermentation continued in the cellar, adding the must pressed the day before, from Xarel·lo and Malvasia. During the fermentation, which lasted for 13 days, no cold was applied. In the final coupage, a parallel elaboration was finally added with a slightly different coupage, of Xarel·lo, Malvasía, Garnacha blanca and Parellada. Finally, the wine was bottled without adding sulphites.
This experiment is a limited edition of 1,200 bottles that can be purchased at the L’Olivera winery in Vallbona de les Monges and at La Vinoteca de Can Calopa, as well as at L’Olivera’s online store .
Upon tasting, we find a very fresh wine, with a marked presence of a floral bouquet. In the mouth, the primary aromas stand out, especially floral aromas and particularly rose, which later evolve to almond blossoms and fruity notes of lemon and apricot.
For the image of this wine, the project has the collaboration of the design studio 131.gd, creator of the image of Únic wine since its inception. On this occasion, the image continues the line started three years ago to make each label unique: the number of each bottle constitutes the image of the label and thus makes it a unique piece.
However, with each vintage, textures, colours and fonts are adapted to the character of the wine. On this occasion, the pink colour that adorns the label evolkes the floral aromas, especially rose, which predominate in this wine, thanks to the contribution of Malvasia, the predominant variety in the coupage. In addition, the typography also adapts to the profile of the wine, incorporating the oval generated by leaves and petals, aiming for a fresh, lively and daring tone.