El Yesal
Garnacha… des grandes occasions. (i.e., une fois par semaine!)

Un projet de réhabilitation de vignes centenaires de garnacha près de Tirapu, une ville appartenant à la sous-zone Valdizarbe au sein de la DO Navarra. La parcelle exposée à des vents importants est à flanc de colline pentue dans la région de Yesal, qui donne son nom au vin: « où on y trouve le gypse ».  Le sol est relativement unique dans la région: très blanc, riche en magnésium et calcaire. C’est un sol pauvre et aride avec une bonne rétention d’eau et de fraîcheur. C’est une parcelle avec une magnifique orientation est, mais qui demande beaucoup de travail car elle est cultivée sans herbicide et sans labour du sol, alors que le contrôle des mauvaises herbes se fait avec une débroussailleuse. Seulement des traitements au soufre et au cuivre permettent le contrôle phytosanitaire. Aucune engrais ou pesticides chimiques. Récolte manuelle en caisses de 16 kg. Rendement approximatif de 2500 kg . Vinifié sans additifs, fermentation avec levures et bactéries indigènes, un vin pur sans maquillage tel est la marque de commerce de Luis Moya. Élevage: 7 mois de vieillissement en fûts de chêne navarrais et français usagés. Pas clarifié. Non filtré. Dose minimale de soufre à l’embouteillage pour permettre la conservation du vin. Mis en bouteille, étiqueté et scellé à la main. Environ 1,500 bouteilles produites pour le millésime 2018 embouteillé en janvier 2020.

Critiques

Millésime 2020

•  The single-vineyard 2020 El Yesal was produced with Garnacha from a centenary plot of vines on limestone-rich soils (« yeso » means gypsum in
  the Spanish language, and « yesal » is a place where you have yeso) in the village of Tirapu in Navarra. 2020 was a warm year, and on top of COVID-
  19, there was a lot of mildew and a very warm summer, so the ripening was fast and the harvest early. It fermented in stainless steel with
  indigenous yeasts, went through malolactic in barrel and matured in a 500-liter oak barrel and some demijohns for 10 months. It’s ripe at 15%
  alcohol but as a very low pH, so the overall sensation is not warm at all and instead comes through as balanced and harmonious. The nose is
  complex and has notes of plums and a meaty touch, a little à la Northern Rhône, with a juicy palate and very fine tannins. It is delicious and has
  depth, complexity, clout and elegance. Superb for the difficult vintage. Only 850 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2022. Drink 2023-2029.
  94+ pts — Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate (Apr. 13, 2023)

Millésime 2018

• The elegant and powerful 2018 El Yesal feels very complete, with a chalky texture and the minerality from the limestone-rich soils. It comes from a centenary Garnacha vineyard that delivered a superb wine in 2018, a wine that combines ripeness and full flavors at 15% alcohol with balance and subtleness. It has very fine tannins and a great mouthfeel, finishing dry and very tasty with an almost salty touch. 1,500 bottles were filled in October 2020.
  94 pts — Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate (Nov. 2020)

Millésime 2017

• The red Garnacha 2017 El Yesal was produced with grapes from an ancient plot of vines on limestone-rich soils (« yeso » means gypsum in the Spanish language, and « yesal » is a place where you have yeso). It’s from 0.5 hectares on a slope, and the grapes fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and matured in 300- and 500-liter oak barrels (one of each) for seven months, but they always keep the wine for two winters in the winery. It has a very characteristic nose that I sometimes find in Garnacha from very warm years, with a mixture of soy sauce and malted cereals with a peaty/smoky twist reminiscent of some malt whiskey. It’s heady, aromatic and showy, floral and a little decadent. The palate reveals fine-grained, chalky tannins and very tasty flavors, with an almost salty finish.
  Only 1,100 bottles were filled in January 2019.
  92 pts — Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate #248 (Apr. 2020)