# Still - El Ramato Carmesi

## Merlot and Garnatxa, one barrel, one measured risk strategy

Still - El Ramato Carmesi is a 2025 biodynamic still red based on a 50/50 blend of Merlot from Vilobi del Penedes and Garnatxa from Verdu, Lleida. The lot is designed as a 200 L single-barrel wine, aged for 9 months in a 225 L neutral oak barrel, with an expected yield of about 266 bottles.

The Symbiogenesis AI constructor was used to read the product protocols, chemistry files, sensory targets, regional descriptions and literature-derived biodynamic wine process graph. The route starts with a measured problem: the Merlot component carries high volatile acidity. The constructor therefore treats the wine as a controlled integration problem.

## Why this wine exists

This is the most gastronomic and technically demanding wine in the 2025 portfolio. The Merlot from Vilobi del Penedes brings mid-palate flesh and soft tannin, but it also carries a high volatile-acidity history. The Garnatxa brings cleaner fruit, glycerol and body. The protocol uses a fixed 50/50 blend, pH adjustment, a single calibrated SO2 addition, complete barrel filling and weekly topping to stop further bacterial activity and allow the wine to integrate during ageing.

This is a wine for the table. Its strength is a measured, savory profile built around acidity, tannin integration, Mediterranean herbs, dark fruit and food.

## Origin and biodynamic material

- Merlot: 100 L from Vilobi del Penedes; biodynamic and regenerative; dry-farmed; no chemical treatments; natural products only.
- Garnatxa: 100 L from Verdu, Lleida; precision biodynamic.
- Final volume: 200 L in one neutral oak barrel.
- Production: about 266 bottles.
- Ageing: 9 months in neutral oak, topped weekly.

The Merlot parcel contributes the most distinctive farming claim in the portfolio: biodynamic plus regenerative management, dry-farmed, and chemical-free in the source description. Garnatxa supplies the cleaner structural counterpart needed for the blend.

## Constructor logic

The AI constructor selected the 50/50 blend because the Merlot alone carried too much volatile acidity for the intended still wine. The product chemistry gives the reason:

- Merlot volatile acidity: 1.45 g/L.
- Garnatxa volatile acidity: 0.47 g/L.
- 50/50 blend volatile acidity: about 0.96 g/L.

The result remains high for a classical still red, so the wine must be positioned and handled honestly. The protocol limits further bacterial development and uses neutral-oak ageing to integrate the volatile profile into a savory, food-oriented wine.

The main cellar controls are:

- pH 3.25 Acid Shield before blending;
- 40 ppm SO2 at blending, calibrated to the low pH;
- neutral oak as an oxygen-transfer vessel with neutral flavor impact;
- complete barrel fill and weekly topping to avoid headspace;
- weekly sensory monitoring for volatile acidity, mousiness, reduction and oxidation.

## Cellar method

1. Cool Merlot and Garnatxa below 8 deg C.
2. Adjust both components to pH 3.25 before blending.
3. Blend 100 L Merlot with 100 L Garnatxa.
4. Add 40 ppm SO2 at blending as the single sulfur decision in the protocol.
5. Transfer to a 225 L neutral oak barrel and keep it completely full.
6. Top weekly to remove headspace and prevent Acetobacter reactivation.
7. Age 9 months at cellar temperature.
8. Bottle with light filtration and no fining.

The most important practical point is headspace discipline. A 200 L wine in a 225 L barrel has 25 L of potential air space if unmanaged. The protocol requires weekly topping because oxygen at the wine surface would reopen the very bacterial pathway the blend is designed to close.

## Measured and protocol chemistry

| Parameter | Value | Interpretation |
|---|---:|---|
| Merlot proportion | 100 L / 50% | Mid-palate flesh, soft tannin, high VA load |
| Garnatxa proportion | 100 L / 50% | Cleaner fruit, glycerol, dilution and body |
| Blend volume | 200 L | Single-barrel lot |
| Barrel | 225 L neutral oak | Oxygen-transfer vessel with neutral flavor impact |
| pH | 3.25 | Acid Shield before blending |
| TA | 5.8 g/L estimated | Bright, savory acidity |
| Alcohol | 12.5% vol estimated | Moderate table-wine strength |
| VA at blend | 0.96 g/L calculated | High; requires honest positioning and strict control |
| VA after ageing | 0.85 g/L estimated | Target after 9 months; final lab confirmation required |
| Total SO2 | 40 mg/L at blending | Single sulfur intervention |
| Residual sugar | 2 g/L estimated | Dry profile with mid-palate support |

Several figures are estimates pending final bottling analysis. The VA values should remain visible in trade-facing material because this wine is credible only when the risk is named and controlled.

## Sensory direction

The intended wine is savory, medium-bodied and food-driven: dark cherry and plum from Merlot, Mediterranean herbs and sun-ripe fruit from Garnatxa, a saline line from the calcareous Verdú context, and faint leather, tobacco or mushroom tones from barrel integration. The neutral oak should polish texture without adding vanilla or toast as a dominant flavor.

The wine should be presented as a Mediterranean table red with savory structure. Its best use is with salt, fat, herbs and slow-cooked food.

## Advantages

- Clear biodynamic-regenerative origin for the Merlot.
- Precision risk management: the blend ratio, pH target, SO2 dose, barrel fill and topping schedule are all justified by one measured problem.
- Single-barrel traceability: about 266 bottles from a defined 200 L lot.
- Gastronomic identity: acidity, savory volatile complexity and tannin integration support food.
- Honest technical story: the product is stronger when the VA management is transparent.

## Best audiences and service

This wine is strongest for sommeliers, restaurants, food-led collectors and buyers who understand natural-wine variability but require technical control. Serve at 15-17 deg C. Decant briefly if volatile lift is prominent. Pair with cured meats, aged sheep or goat cheese, roasted root vegetables, lamb with rosemary, mushroom dishes, tomato-based Mediterranean stews and dishes with olive, anchovy or cured-fat intensity.

## Evidence dossier

Primary local sources:

- `products/still/manifest.md`
- `products/still/03_technical/protocol_followed.md`
- `products/still/03_technical/chemical_analysis.json`
- `products/still/04_sensory/target_profile.md`
- `products/PROCESS_Still.md`
- `global_assets/region_description.md`
- `protocols/protocol_ES 3.pdf`
- `protocols/Merlot2_es.pdf`
- `protocols/Analysis_Holobiont.pdf`

Constructor evidence:

- literature-derived wine process graph in `concept_natural-wine/merged_wine_up_5.md`;
- biodynamic constructor manuscript and cellar-control analysis in `tex/analysis_hyperion.tex`;
- Symbiogenesis product protocols and chemical analysis files.