Celler del Roure
VALENCIA
‘Pablo Calatayud and his father found they had acquired an astonishing underground cellar with 100 buried amphorae’
Celler del Roure is tucked away in the glorious southernmost part of Valencia, a golden countryside of masía farmhouses surrounded by their estates. Owners would make their own wines, traditionally using amphorae. What Pablo Calatayud and his father found when they purchased a 40ha estate there in 2006 was that they had also acquired an astonishing underground cellar with 100 amphorae buried up to their necks. Over time, the vessels have been cleaned, given modern lids with seals and put back to work. The result – wines with exceptionally slow oxygen contact – is impressive. The amphorae don’t add flavour, but they keep freshness.
In addition, Celler del Roure has been reviving local varieties, particularly Mandó and Verdil. The Calatayuds have moved from varieties designed to appeal to an international market to something altogether more original, grafting local varieties such as these over the original Tempranillos and Merlots. Over the years, Celler del Roure has made a steady transformation that is being repeated by producers in the Alforins region. This is what makes this small zone so exciting today. These Mediterranean wines are lighter in alcohol, lighter in body and, despite the southerly location, fresh.
Celler del Roure, Safrà, Valencia 2019 93 £ 15.19-£ 18 (2018) Alliance Wine, Cheers, The Drink Shop, The Fine Wine Co, Turton Wines
Mainly Mandó grapes with Arcos (rather than Garnacha Tintorera as in previous blends) – a change that brings greater finesse to this aromatic wine. Bright, mid-weight, juicy, with sour cherries and cranberries and the faintest rasp of tannin. Fermented in stainless steel and matured in buried clay amphorae in the remarkable cellar. Organic. Drink 2021-2024 Alc 12.5%