Winemaker Notes
Sus Scrofa is the latin term for wild boar, an animal that makes its home in the hills of the Alta Penedès. It is also the emblem of Celler Pardas. Sus Scrofa is the younger vine, more easy drinking 100% Sumoll from Celler Pardas. Why Ramon at Pardas has an affinity for such a pesky animal is a mystery, but the name and label of this wine is completely appropriate. Sumoll is extremely difficult in the vineyard - like the wild boar. And it is also extremely tasty - like the wild boar.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The idea with the 2022 Sus Scrofa is to offer a Sumoll with no makeup, as pure as possible, from the variety they have been selecting across Cataluña and grafting it in their Can Comas property, selecting the soil, altitude and orientation they deemed optimal. It fermented with 50% full clusters and was kept in concrete for three months. It has moderate ripeness, a medium-bodied palate, 12% alcohol and very good freshness reflected by a pH of 3.3. This is still very young, from their more intense grape variety, again admitted by the Penedès appellation, which was not the case the first four years of their wines. The grape has a strong personality, different, and the wine is perfect to understand the variety, with no makeup. It's expressive with a medium-bodied palate, raw, energetic.
Beyond the usual suspects, there are hundreds of red grape varieties grown throughout the world. Some are indigenous specialties capable of producing excellent single varietal wines, while others are better suited for use as blending grapes. Each has its own distinct viticultural characteristics, as well as aroma and flavor profiles, offering much to be discovered by the curious wine lover. In particular, Portugal and Italy are known for having a multitude of unique varieties but they can really be found in any region.
A superior source of white grapes for the production of Spain’s prized sparkling wine, Cava, the Penedes region is part of Catalunya and sits just south of Barcelona. Medio Penedès is the most productive source of the Cava grapes, Macabeo, Xarel-lo, and Parellada. Penedes also grows Garnacha and Tempranillo (here called Ull de Llebre in Catalan), for high quality reds and rosès.