Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The iconic 2023 Nun Vinya Dels Taus is a single-vineyard Xarel.lo from the first plot they started working, which took 20 years to recover, recovering the soils, working organically and biodynamically with the plants and animals in the vineyard and lowering the yield per plant in a plot that was used to produce base wine for sparkling wine. It's only 0.67 hectares, planted in 1945. After the soft pressing of the whole bunches, the must fermented with indigenous yeasts in 300-liter barrels, 20% of them new. It matured for nine months in new, second and third-use barrels from selected barrel makers in Burgundy with lees without being racked or doing bâtonnage. This is stunning. It displays a bright yellow color, almost fluorescent and with some green tints. The nose is kaleidoscopic, detailed and nuanced but very subtle and elegant, clean and precise.
Primarily associated with the Penedès region of Spain, Xarel-lo plays an important role in most Cava blends along with Parellada and Macabeo. Prized for its high levels of acidity and polyphenols, Xarel-lo adds strength, body and a distinct greengage or earthy character to these blends. Somm Secret—Just a few miles northeast of Barcelona, Xarel-lo vineyards around the town of Alella produce highly regarded still wines with fresh lemon and stone fruit flavors.
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.