Masusta
100% Garnacha
Production : approx. 3000 bottles

The Masusta plot, located 600m above sea level, is mainly composed of sand and limestone and is distributed over three terraces. The garnacha vines were planted in 1955 – 1960 and grown in gobelet until Luis converted the vineyard to trellis prior the first vintage in 2011. With a planting density of about 2000 vines per hectare, the low yield of 30hl/HA contribute to the complexity of the wine. The sandy soils of Masusta are extremely dry with an annual average of 600 mm of rain.

The minimal intervention winemaking is performed in stainless steel tanks of 1000 litres maintained at capacity to reduce the oxidation. The artisan techniques used include using frozen water bottles to cool the must at a fermentation temperature of 18 to 22 °C for 18 days. Like all his wines, indigenous yeasts do the work. The wine only undergoes a mild filtration and no clarification step.

The wine is ultimately stabilised by natural physical processes (time and temperature) by spending two winters in the cellar. Up to the 2021 vintage, the wine was left to mature in a blend of American, French and Navarra barrels.

In 2022, Luis decided to change the maturation to old oak barrels to allow a better expression of the terroir by allowing a maximum expression of the fruit profile. Luis uses a very low level of free SO2 (<20mg/L).

Reviews

2017 Vintage

  • The 2017 Masusta comes from the first vineyard he started working, 1.41 hectares of 60-year-old Garnacha between the villages of Carcar and Lerin. The vineyard was converted from head pruned to being trellised on marl and boulder soils that is organically farmed. The wine fermented naturally, and it spent two winters in used barrels, which the winery did to achieve a natural clarification and stabilization. It has ripe fruit and plenty of balsamic aromas, reminiscent of American oak, with an approachable and commercial profile. The palate is medium-bodied and reveals some grainy tannins and balsamic, spicy and smoky flavors.
    2,400 bottles produced. It was bottled in August 2019.
    88 pts — Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate #248 (Apr. 2020)