Winemaker Notes
Macabeo, Chardonnay, and a touch of Malvasia de Sitges. Parellada at its best, from high-altitude, gravelly mountain soils: intense lemon-oil aroma with firm acid structure enhanced by the rare, glyceric Malvasía. Stony and aromatic, reminiscent of France's Chablis or Rheingau.
Ideal with aperitifs, salads, seafood and shellfish in general, some light soft/melted cheeses and poultry.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
Apple, melon and apricot aromas are pure and come with zero interference from natural funk or oak. A blend of mostly Parellada with Macabeo and other white grapes, it hails from the highest vineyards in the Penedès. Flavors of melon, lime and wet stones reflect gravelly soils, and it's steady on a long finish.
Best Buy
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
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.