2018 Gramona, Imperial, Corpinnat,Brut, Spain

Xarello, also knowm as Xarel-lo, is a white wine grape that forms the backbone of the Cava Spanish sparkling wine,  being one of the three traditional grapes used in its production. The other two grapes are the Catalan indigenous variety Parellada, and Macabeo which is better known as Viura, the main white grape of Rioja. Xarel-lo contributes intense aromas in the blend  which many believe underpins Cava's unique character. A handful of producers has experimented with making small quantity of still wines from Xarel-lo which are generally being met with good reviews. Xarello is also known as Cartuja, Cartuxa, Moll, Pansa, Pansa Blanca, Pansal and Xarelo Blanco.

Gramona are acknowledged, in Spain and beyond, to be the the finest of all Cava Houses (voted among the Top of 100 Wineries of 2010 in the Wines & Spirits magazine). Fine Cava, I hear you say, is that not something of an oxymoron? Can they really make fine sparkling wine in Catalonia, when the Champenois have for centuries insisted that the climatic conditions at 49 degrees of latitude are essential for that gentle pirouette of tension between acidity, sugar and fruit which is necessary for the creation of the very finest of sparkling wines. In addition, Cava, from the seventies onwards, has grown on an industrial scale, neglecting, in the quest for volume, those finer artisanal features which underwrite all of the world’s best wines. Gramona is an extremely honourable exception to this flight from quality and Jaume and Xavier Gramona, from the fifth generation of a family which was created in 1881, are extraordinarily competent winemakers and very fine ambassadors. Ambassadors who are both trained in oenology and passionate about their wines and about redefining the reputation of the Cava category. To this end, they take advantage of the best Penèdes locations, specifically La Plana and the steep slopes of Mas Escorpi, and an approach to winemaking which centres on extensive ageing and low levels of sugar. Indeed the wines are aged in the Champagne method, that is to say in bottle on the yeast that has allowed the second fermentation and for a period of between 18 months and ten years. Only the very best Vintage Champagnes benefit form this kind of regime, and it should be no surprise, therefore, that the Gramona wines can take on qualities more usually associated with the most regal of their Champenois cousins. For those who associate Cava with earthy, almost rubbery flavours, the legacy of mass-market mediocrity, this will come as something of a surprise. Instead the wines are astonishingly complex and take on nutty biscuity and autolytic notes, with exceptional balancing acidity and low levels of added sugar in the name of structural harmony. The Gramonas have not achieved this by evading their heritage; on the contrary, it is an alchemical manipulation of the historical grapes (Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada) added to a little Chardonnay, that has forged a distinctive style. These are great wines and a source of as well as for great celebration as they broaden the quality sparkling wine category, fuelling it with interest and diversity