Celler Alimara, Llumí Negre, 2021
Celler Alimara, Llumí Negre, 2021
- 75cl
- 14.5%
- Red Still
- Garnatxa, Syrah, Monastrell
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Optimal drinking window: 2026 - 2032
Celler Alimara is a producer working in the hills behind Barcelona, in the D.O. Alella - one of Catalonia's smallest and most overlooked appellations, hemmed in by urban sprawl yet producing wines of genuine personality. Llumí Negre (the name means 'black light', which tells you something about their sense of drama) is their red wine, a blend anchored by Garnatxa with support from Syrah and Monastrell, grown on the granitic soils that define this coastal pocket of Catalonia.
The 2021 is medium-bodied and pleasingly direct, with dark cherry, dried rosemary, and that iron-rich, stony mineral quality that the granite always seems to leave as its calling card. The tannins are firm without being hard, and there's a lifted, almost herbal freshness that keeps it lively rather than heavy.
By 2026, the start of the drinking window, the 2021 Llumí Negre is in a comfortable, accessible phase — the primary fruit is vivid and the structure is present but not imposing. Over the next two to three years the tannins will continue to knit in and the herbal, stony secondary notes will become more prominent, giving the wine a more layered, earthy quality. We'd expect it to reach a pleasant plateau somewhere around 2028 to 2030, where fruit, minerality, and structure are all pulling in the same direction.
Tasting Notes
AppearanceDeep ruby with a clear, youthful rim and good intensity.
NoseDark cherry and blackberry lead, followed by dried thyme, rosemary, and a characteristic stony, iron-rich mineral note that speaks directly to the granite. A faint hint of warm spice in the background — not intrusive, just present.
PalateMedium-bodied and well-structured, with firm but polished tannins and enough acidity to keep everything in motion. The fruit is dark and a little brooding — cherry skin and black plum — with that herbal, garrigue-like savouriness running underneath. Fresh rather than heavy, with no excess weight.
FinishClean and mineral, with dried herb and iron-tinged stone persisting well beyond the fruit.
Overall impressionA wine that earns its place at the table through character rather than volume.
Food Pairings
Along the Catalan coast, this kind of red sits naturally alongside escalivada — sweet, smoky roasted aubergine and peppers dressed with good olive oil — or a plate of botifarra sausages grilled over vine cuttings. The herbal, mineral quality of the wine finds a real partner in lamb chops rubbed with romesco or a slow-cooked conill amb cargols, the traditional rabbit and snail stew that remains a fixture in Catalan farmhouse cooking. On the coast itself, a meaty fish like monkfish or tuna, given a bit of char, would hold its own too.
We think this wine would go well with
Serve at around 16°C — cool enough to keep the freshness alive, warm enough not to close the fruit down. This doesn't demand a long decant, but 20 to 30 minutes in a carafe will open it up and soften the edges. A standard Burgundy-style glass works well here — it gives the wine room to breathe without amplifying the tannins.
The vineyards sit on decomposed granite — locally known as sauló — which drains freely and forces the vines to dig deep, producing wines with a mineral, stony character and naturally moderate alcohol. Alella's proximity to the Mediterranean moderates temperatures, while the Montnegre hills to the north provide shelter from cold air, creating a relatively mild, consistent climate. The combination of granite soils and coastal influence tends to produce reds with freshness and lift rather than the richer, denser profiles you'd find further inland.
D.O. Alella is one of Spain's smallest appellations, squeezed into a narrow coastal strip between Barcelona's northern suburbs and the sea. The defining feature is the sauló — coarse, pale, decomposed granite — which underpins the appellation's reputation for bright, mineral-inflected wines. Alella is far better known for its white Pansa Blanca (Xarel·lo) than its reds, which makes discovering a well-made red here something of a pleasant surprise. It sits geographically close to the Penedès and the Maresme coast, but its granitic soils and urban-edge character give it a distinctly different personality from both.
The 2021 vintage in Catalonia turned out to be one of those years that kept everyone guessing until the very end. Spring brought irregular rainfall patterns that had producers watching the skies with particular intensity, whilst summer heat arrived in waves rather than the steady build many were expecting. The harvest itself stretched longer than usual, with different zones and varieties ripening at their own pace, demanding careful selection and multiple picking passes from the most conscientious producers.
What emerged from all this uncertainty are wines with a particular freshness that sets them apart from the riper, more immediate vintages of recent memory. The Garnacha and Cariñena from the older vine sites show real backbone and minerality, whilst the Tempranillo-based blends carry more obvious fruit but with underlying tension that suggests they'll reward patience. We find ourselves drawn to the way these wines balance ripeness with acidity, though they're showing a bit reserved in their youth. Give them until 2025 to really hit their stride, though the whites are drinking beautifully now.
FAQs
What does Llumí Negre taste like?
Dark cherry, blackberry, and dried herbs — rosemary and thyme particularly — with a distinctive stony, iron-rich mineral quality that comes directly from the granite soils. Medium-bodied, firm-tanninned, and fresher than you might expect from a southern European red.
When is the best time to drink the 2021?
It's drinking well right now and will continue to do so until around 2032. The next two to three years should see it become slightly more complex and integrated, so if you have a few bottles, there's a good case for spreading them out.
What food should I serve with this?
Catalan classics work brilliantly — grilled botifarra, escalivada, lamb with romesco, or a slow-cooked rabbit stew. A herbal, slightly charred preparation tends to bring out the best in the wine's savoury, mineral side.
How should I serve it?
Around 16°C, with a short decant of 20 to 30 minutes to open it up. A standard Burgundy-style glass is ideal. No need to overthink it.
Is this worth cellaring?
It's not a wine built for the long haul, but it will reward patience until around 2030. Beyond that, the freshness that makes it distinctive is likely to fade. Think of it as a medium-term prospect rather than a cellar anchor.
What makes D.O. Alella unusual?
It's one of Spain's smallest appellations, sandwiched between Barcelona's northern suburbs and the Mediterranean coast. The pale, coarse granite soils — called sauló locally — give the wines a stony mineral character you won't easily find elsewhere in Catalonia. Most people know it for whites, which makes a red of this quality something of a discovery.
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