Winemaker Notes
Comprised of Xarel·lo with a nearly equal amount of Macabeu; from the oldest vines situated on the Recaredo estates at Can Romeu (Sant Sadurní d’Anoia), La Pedra Blanca (Subirats) and Can Rosell de la Serra (Torrelavit), all in the “Alt Penedès” region; all the must from the Xarel·lo grapes. The wine is fermented in oak barrels, marked by notes of ripe fruits married to a lively citrus-infused backbone: the height of elegance. Aged a minimum of 7 years on the lees.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
All their wines are Brut Nature, and so is the 2017 Serral del Vell, a blend of 87% Xarel.lo and 13% Macabeo. For them, it was an earlier harvest but within the normal parameters. This is a single-vineyard wine from soils with a very high content of calcium carbonate (33% active limestone), which gives the wine a very lively palate with a clear salty twist. The first vintage of this wine was 2006 and was born with less Xarel.lo, but the percentage has grown over the years because it started with a more classical blend with close to 50% Macabeo. They look for the expression of the soil here, narrower and more direct, with more tension and with tons of elegance from the aging with the lees, very integrated and balanced, keeping the acidity. It developed an acute note of licorice with time in the glass.
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.