Vins el Cep Brut Reserve 2008
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Robert
Parker
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Approximately 472 acres of vineyards are owned by Vins El Cep. There are five different vineyards in Superior Penedes, the highest region in Penedes. It is predominately calcareous soil. 60% of the vineyards are pruned as a bilateral cordon. The rest are spur-pruned and head-trained (vaso system).
For this cava, only the first press of the grapes is used (about 50% of selected harvest); there are 10.5 grams of sugar used in the final dosage. The wine spends 3.5 years in the bottle before release.
Blend: 35% Macabeo, 30% Xarel-lo, 20% Parellada, 15% Chardonnay
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2008 Marques de Gelida Brut Gran Reserva is made from the same blend as the 2010 Kila Cava. Coming from slightly higher altitude vineyards, it is a selection of some of the better lots. It is aged in bottle three and a half years prior to being released. This frothy effort exhibits more brioche and buttered citrus notes, light to medium body, and a clean/pure style. Again, it is a super value in sparkling white wine.
Vins el Cep is owned by several families, who’s vineyards together produce the unique, terroir driven, sustainable cavas and wines.
Owned by the Carreras family, the 60Ha. Can Prats vineyard estate is located in Sant Llorenç d’Hortons. Macabeo, Xarel·lo, Parellada, Pinot Noir, and Tempranillo are all grown on the estate, which was first developed by Berenguer Raspall, who built the estate’s masia, or farmhouse, in 1393. In 1568, Jaume Prats renamed the estate and consolidated viticulture on the farm.
The Can Castany vineyard estate is owned by the Masana family and was founded in 1448 by Joan Duran. In 1513, Felip Castany named the basilical style masia. The current proprietor, Gil Masana, is one of the founding members of Vins El Cep and is extremely well versed in the cultivation of grapes in this privileged area. It is a 50Ha. completely organically cultivated estate, where Vins El Cep’s oldest vines are found, dating back to 1928. Macabeo, Xarel·lo, Parellada, Chardonnay, Muscat, Tempranillo, Merlot, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon are all grown.
The Parera family owns the Can Miquel de les Planes vineyard estate. The current proprietor, Pere Parera, founding member of Vins El Cep, is the pioneer in Penedès for biodynamic viticulture, and was the first in the D.O. to push for and implement biodynamic viticulture in his vineyards in 2003. The estate is 30Ha. of completely organic and biodynamically farmed Macabeo, Parrellada, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Finally, the Esteve family, founding members of Vins El Cep, own the vineyard estate Can Simon, which was first founded in 1501 by Mateo Joan. The estate was named in 1673 by Jaume Simon. It consists of 50Ha. of Macabeo, Xarel·lo, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Merlot.
Vins El Cep is the pioneer in D.O. Penedès for the production of sustainably grown cava, and were the first in Spain to produce a biodynamically farmed cava.
Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.
Known for bold reds, crisp whites, easy-drinking rosés, distinctive sparkling, and fortified wines, Spain has embraced international varieties and wine styles while continuing to place primary emphasis on its own native grapes. Though the country’s climate is diverse, it is generally hot and dry. In the center of the country lies a vast, arid plateau known as the Meseta Central, characterized by extremely hot summers and frequent drought.
Rioja is Spain’s best-known region, where earthy, age-worthy Spanish reds are made from Tempranillo and Garnacha (Grenache). Rioja also produces rich, nutty whites from the local Viura grape.
Ribera del Duero is gaining ground for Spanish wines with its single varietal Tempranillo wines, recognized for their concentration of fruit and opulence. Priorat, a sub-region of Catalonia, specializes in bold, full-bodied Spanish red wine blends of Garnacha (Grenache), Cariñena (Carignan), and often Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Catalonia is also home to Cava, a Spanish sparkling wine made in the traditional method but from indigenous varieties. In the cool, damp northwest Spanish wine region of Galicia, refreshing Spanish white Albariño and Verdejo dominate.
Sherry, Spain’s famous fortified wine, is produced in a wide range of styles from dry to lusciously sweet at the country’s southern tip in Jerez.