Tossudes
We are stubborn at L’Olivera. Stubborn like the grapevines that survive in our dry land. Stubborn like the winter fog and stifling summer middays. Stubborn like the hope that drives us to make a project like ours work, often running up against values the new times impose.
This stubborn and persevering character produced the first red wine from L’Olivera, released in 2008 after 20 years of white wine production. A wine that emerges from tough harvests, with dreams like those of the headstrong people behind it.
Tossudes is a mature young wine with a careful blend of red grapes, aged in vats and bottles to achieve the refinement and maximum expression we aimed for. The result is a complex wine, with black fruit aromas and balsamic notes of deep wood and spices.
With Tossudes we want to take a step further in red winemaking, giving it the personality that has seen us persevere and get to where we are. A young and agile character that is at the same time mature and complex. That is L’Olivera. That is Tossudes: a universe experienced by and designed for people who are brave and headstrong.
Terroir
ORIGIN: Vineyards from different municipalities in the Corb River Valley subzone of the Costers del Segre DO and family-run plots from around Bonretorn, on the southern side of the Prades mountain range in Tarragona.
SOIL: Chalky clay soil with variable levels of stoniness and depth.
CLIMATE: The climate is continental Mediterranean, with cold dry winters and hot summers tempered by the soft evening breeze blowing in from the sea that cools the night, particularly during the ripening season. The scarce rainfall is concentrated in autumn and spring (350-450 mm yearly).
Varieties
Grenache (87%) and Merlot (13%)
Vine growing
Organic farming. Manual harvest in crates of 10-12 kg.
Wine processing
Fermented under controlled temperature in pigeage vats with periodic punch-down of the skins. Aged for one year in the bottle.
Production
2023 vintage: 9,824 bottles
Technical sheet
Tossudes 2023
Characteristics of the vintage
The 2023 vintage was, like 2022, also very complicated on an agronomic level, especially due to the low rainfall and extreme conditions with numerous days with maximum temperatures above 35ºC. All these elements caused limited plant development and a considerable reduction in production (between 30 an 80% lower than the average in our dryland viticulture conditions). These extreme conditions of heat and rought forced us to advance the harvest to maintain the balance and quality of the grapes. We started very early, on August 18 and finished it on October 4. At least the conditions of drought and low humidity allowed us to harvest the grapes in ideal sanitary conditions and without any fungal infections.
Viticulture and wine processing
Certified organic dry land farming. Hand-picked into small crates of 10-12 kg; if necessary the grapes go through an on-table sorting process. The varieties are fermented in pigeage vats with periodic punch-down of the skins, which we combine with the odd open pump-over at the end of fermentation. We place the varieties separately in vats that we work on manually and at a controlled temperature to obtain mild extractions. During the blending process we decide what proportion of each variety to use to produce Tossudes.
Analysis
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Total acidity: 3.77 g/l (sulphuric acid)
Volatile acidity: 0.36 g/l
Residual sugar: <0.5 g/l (glucose+fructose)
Total sulphur: 65 mg/l
Tasting notes
Garnet in colour with bluish tinges. On the nose it is fresh, with an intense aroma where floral notes (violet) and red (cherry) and black fruit stand out, with a spicy touch. On the palate it is light and fresh, with a good acidity in an agile and easy to drink wine. Tossudes pairs well with pizza and pasta, white meats, and medium intensity soft cheeses. It is also an ideal wine to drink by the glass.
Awards
Peñín Guide:
2022: 87 points (2019 vintage)
Guia de Vins de Catalunya:
2021: 7.79 points (2018 vintage)
2019: 9.2 points (2016 vintage)
2018: 9.4 points (2015 vintage)
International Wine Awards 2019:
Silver medal (2017 vintage)