Cava and Tarragona - Day 2

09-Jun-09 - I don't usually do breakfast (if I start eating that early in the morning my stomach tends to 'wake up' and start demanding food throughout the day. My usual desayuno in Spain is a cafe con leche and a large brandy, perhaps with a pincho of tortilla if I'm feeling really extravagant) but the spread was so appetising that I did have a nibule before we departed for our first visit.

This was to Recaredo, which is at the forefront of the Xarel·lo revolution (see posts passim), and we started out with the inevitable tasting (in this case of the 2005 - jolly good) in the vineyard under a bower of vines. We were hosted by Ton Mata Moliner, the grandson of Josep María Capellades, who founded the company in 1924.

Ton Mata in the 'sacristy'

Back in the cellar we were conducted into the 'sacristy' behind locked iron gates where (we were told) the best vintages mature. The cellarmaster obligingly disgorged a couple of examples of the finest for us on the spot, which we tasted, of course, without any licor de expedición.

1999 100% Xarel·lo, 5% fermented in old barrels, This could eventually come to market at about €95 a bottle retail in Spain - a very gentle mousse with a warm, ripe nose, noticeable autolysis, the same warmth on the mid with a 'meaty' style and real premium characteristics, complexity and structure: delicious, excellent. 18½/20

1984 40/60 Xarel·lo/Macabeo. The cork broke twice even in expert hands, so the wine was cloudy when poured as the sediment mixed in, reminding us what sparkling wine looked like before Mme Clicquot invented remuage. The nose had a powerful aroma of lees, understandably, but the palate had an enormous, 'savoury' fruit style and quite amazingly fresh acidity. The lees came back on the finish, but the wine was still fresh after 25 years.

Hand-disgorging the 1984

Then it was on to tasting the current vintages:

2002 Brut de Brut Gran Reserva (72/28 Macabeo/Xarel·lo), 71 months on the lees - good central mousse with a soft 'chalky' nose and hints of autolysis: good, mouth-filling fizz with a hint of liquorice, perhaps a bit light on the finish (but it is 7 years old). 17/20

2001 Reserva Particular 40/60 Xarel·lo/Macabeo - some autolysis and a smoky richness on the nose, but with big, powerful fruit on the palate, lotsa extract and complexity, big structure but still fresh. 18/20

"Price is a real challenge", commented Ton, "our cheapest wines are in the €13-€15 bracket, and at this level people don't really understand them." Such are the tasks facing those who are trying to promote the concept of truly premium Cava, but the bird is on the wing.

Tasting at Recaredo

One of the great advantages of visiting Cava country is that so many of the houses are clustered around Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, so there are no long-drawn-out journeys between them. Gramona is less than a kilometre from Recaredo and we arrived in good time. We were hosted by Ana López Lindon, the export director, and were to have lunch with Xavier Gramona, the fifth generation of the family. The winemaker is Xavier's cousin Jaume Gramona, and, in common with most Cava producers, the company makes still wines as well as sparkling. But this is an oversimplification: Jaume wanted to make an ice-wine but, of course, frost is not a regular visitor to the vineyards of Barcelona, so he developed a technique for taking late-harvest grapes and partially freezing them in the tank to extract the concentrated juice. This is Vi de Gel, and he makes a Gewurztraminer and a Riesling-Muscat. He also has a traditional solera making rancio-type wines, which are not sold but offered to family, friends and visitors to the winery.

One of the manicured vineyards

But that was not why we were here: after a brief tour of the vineyards we went into the winery. The cellars are large and rambling, and mercifully provided with a lift and, after the usual tour, we had the tasting, with Xavier. The tasting room is an airy, top floor affair with a glass wall and a terrace beyond where we were able to watch them laying up for lunch as we tasted. These were the highlights:

Gramona cellars - Ana in the background

2001 Celler Batlle Gran Reserva, 70/30 X/M, 7 years on the lees - some subtle autolysis on the nose with considerable complexity; the palate has the same complexity, structure and length, and that trademark Gramona freshness. 17/20

2000 Celler Batlle Gran Reserva, 70/30 X/M, 6 years on the lees - rich, biscuity with soft autolysis, more complexity and notable richness on the mid, very long, spicy finish. Excellent. 18/20

1998 Celler Batlle Gran Reserva - some bright, citrussy fruit with a hint of autolysis on the nose, and big, gamey, spicy mid and finish, but it still seems to be developing, even after all this time. 18/20

1997 Celler Batlle Gran Reserva - a mix of citrus and autolysis plus a hint of oxidation on the nose, but vibrant fruit on the foretaste fading to richness on the mid, with a gamey finish. Needs drinking up but splendid. 18/20

These were some of the finest wines we tasted on the trip - although they sell in Spain from about €40 to over €100 - and I had the opportunity to speak to Xavier about them before lunch.

"Only a family company can afford to make wines to age for 10 to 15 years." Yes but, what's the secret? "The land, the grape, the winemaker..." Fairly obvious, but, of course, "the Xarel·lo is now recovering from its reputation as a 'difficult' grape" since growers stopped leaving it on the vine too long in the hope of higher sugar-content. "Once we have grapes of the quality we want, the rest is a matter of time on the lees, and autolysis. By the time the wine is disgorged the primary aromas will have been superseded. The lactic characteristics are no longer the product of fermentation, but from the yeast. That's what gives the wine those 'toasty' aromas that we want. The autolysis of the yeast provides the ultimate complexity, and it takes years, not months." And Cava with food? "The wine has to have the weight to match with food. Young wines are too light, maturity is everything. Our aim is to make a 10-year wine which still refreshes. Something, for example, you could drink with wasabi."

Hard-working tasting (1): Xavier in silhouette, the terrace beyond

So, then it was in to lunch, or rather out to lunch on the terrace, on a lovely June afternoon. We had a light, summer meal of cheese, salad chicken, and the usual suspects and drank the Gewurztraminer Vi de Gel (astonishingly light and delicious) Gramona Chardonnay and Xarel·lo still wines, and what was left of the Cavas from the tasting. We finished off with the solera wine - amazingly nutty and almost like an old Oloroso Sherry. It was a privilege to taste this range and, perhaps, the most educational visit of the trip: a family firm refusing to 'dumb down' its Cavas to meet price points, Sadly, as yet, they are not easy to find in the UK.

Then it was back to the hotel with a full three hours for siesta and shower (and a couple of large ones) before dinner in the hotel at 21:15. Why don't more trip organisers build in this kind of relaxing break? Very civilised, but then, we are in Cava country.

Hard-working tasting (2)

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