Sindicat La Figuera started as a small cooperative in the Montsant Mountains, founded in 1932, producing wines of clarity and integrity and from the 2020 vintage this wine will be made entirely by Rene Barbier and Sara Perez (you know the Dido, Venus , Partida and the Clos Magador). One has to drive up the mountainside on very narrow, winding roads to reach the town of La Figuera, which is 600 meters high and has only 80 inhabitants. The city seems to rise from the top of the mountain, with the surrounding mountains and the Priorat region in view in all directions.

In the early 1930s, when the cooperative was established, La Figuera was a bustling town; there were 25 residents who were involved in the establishment of the winery and who contributed grapes to the first harvest. Garnatxa, as the Catalans call it, has always been planted around La Figuera and has always been the main grape used for Sindicat's flagship wine. While Cariñena is typically blended with Garnatxa in Montsant, La Figuera is known for the beauty and elegance of their pure Garnatxa wines and is one of the few places where it is bottled on its own. The city prospered until the mid-1950s, when a major storm devastated the area, followed by a strong frost the following year. Residents fled and many of the vineyards were destroyed and abandoned.

La Figuera has never really regained its population, although a few dedicated citizens have replanted Garnatxa vines, and there are now only three passionate members who have vowed to keep the cooperative alive. The famous winemaker from Priorat, René Barbier, also learned about the Garnatxa wines of La Figuera and decided to join forces with the members of the cooperative to help make wine. Rene says you can always tell when a wine comes from La Figuera because there is a unique limestone content in the soil that makes the Garnatxa lighter. In addition to preserving these special wines, René also wanted to keep alive the heritage of the people's cooperative movement, a movement that began in the post-phylloxera era of Catalonia in the early 20th century.

Sindicat La Figuera works with 25 hectares of Garnatxa Fina and the vines range in age from 20-70 years. The Garnacha 2020 Sindicat La Figuera is made by René Barbier. It is a characteristic and rustic red with the chalky tannins of the limestone soils and the scent of the Garnacha from the village. Wines are fermented with wild yeasts in underground concrete tanks with minimal temperature regulation, where they are aged for about 9 months on fine lees before being bottled with light fining and filtration. It is a great accessible wine. Red fresh fruit, the typical mineral aromas and flavors. Elegant, fresh and juicy, that's the best way to sum up this delicious wine and it's not surprising that even this very affordable wine from Rene Barbier has been awarded 90/100 Parker points since 2018.

Fun fact: An old label has been found and used for this old style, authentic red.