2001 Cava Gramona, Celler Batlle, Gran Reserva, Brut, Catalonia, Spain

2001 Cava Gramona, Celler Batlle, Gran Reserva, Brut, Catalonia, Spain

Product: 20018003083
 
2001 Cava Gramona, Celler Batlle, Gran Reserva, Brut, Catalonia, Spain

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Description

Here is proof, as if proof were needed, that biodynamic Cava with extended autolysis can be a more than worthy rival to Champagne. This is quite simply the best Cava I have ever tasted; hazelnut, lanolin, honeysuckle and spice all vie for attention. With balanced acidity, extraordinary complexity and impressive development on the palate, this is truly outstanding.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

Gramona are acknowledged, in Spain and beyond, to be the finest of all Cava houses. They have not achieved this by evading their heritage; on the contrary, it is an alchemical manipulation of the historical grapes (Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada) added to a little Chardonnay, that has forged a distinctive style. These are great wines and a source of – as well as for – great celebration as they broaden the quality sparkling wine category, fuelling it with interest and diversity.

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Critics reviews

Wine Advocate96/100
The 2001 Cellar Batlle Gran Reserva Brut (disgorged in 2011) has a lifted bouquet that shows the benefits of bottle age when compared to the 2002. It offers a citrus-driven bouquet with limestone aromas, a touch of lanolin and honeysuckle that emerge with aeration. The palate is (once again) extraordinarily precise on the entry with tangible minerality and hints of white truffle. The acidity is perfectly in synch with the taut citrus fruit, lending the finish laser-like focus married with unerring refinement.

The town of Sant Sadurni D-Anoia is built upon Cava, and in one of its streets in an undistinguished building lies one of its greatest exponents - Gramona. I had time to taste through their current portfolio, as well as take a brief tour of their ancient cellars housing countless bottles, each annex named after a different member of the dynasty. My guide was the garrulous Xavier Gramona, a veritable fountain of information and viewpoints, in particular with respect to agrology (where Claude Bourguignon acts as an advisor) and the -essence of long aging- for Cava in terms of soil, autolysis and that crucial ingredient, time.

His research into autolysis deserves an article all of its own, but essentially he believes that lees-aging is mandatory to create complex aromas and flavours and to protect the wine from oxidation during aging - five years minimum, and preferably ten years to create a truly great Cava. Even then, he advises that Gran Reservas should be given two or three years bottle age after disgorgement. At Gramona, detail is everything, pruning according to lunar phases, manual picking, riddling by hand, aging bottles under cork rather than crown cap and using 100-year Solera wines aged in chestnut and oak barrels for dosage. So let us examine what is unquestionably the most impressive portfolio of Cavas money can buy.
Wine Advocate #200 Apr 2012 Read more

About this WINE

Bodegas Gramona

Bodegas Gramona

Gramona are acknowledged, in Spain and beyond, to be the the finest of all Cava Houses (voted among the Top of 100 Wineries of 2010 in the Wines & Spirits magazine).

Fine Cava, I hear you say, is that not something of an oxymoron? Can they really make fine sparkling wine in Catalonia, when the Champenois have for centuries insisted that the climatic conditions at 49 degrees of latitude are essential for that gentle pirouette of tension between acidity, sugar and fruit which is necessary for the creation of the very finest of sparkling wines.

In addition, Cava, from the seventies onwards, has grown on an industrial scale, neglecting, in the quest for volume, those finer artisanal features which underwrite all of the world’s best wines. Gramona is an extremely honourable exception to this flight from quality and Jaume and Xavier Gramona, from the fifth generation of a family which was created in 1881, are extraordinarily competent winemakers and very fine ambassadors.

Ambassadors who are both trained in oenology and passionate about their wines and about redefining the reputation of the Cava category. To this end, they take advantage of the best Penèdes locations, specifically La Plana and the steep slopes of Mas Escorpi, and an approach to winemaking which centres on extensive ageing and low levels of sugar.

Indeed the wines are aged in the Champagne method, that is to say in bottle on the yeast that has allowed the second fermentation and for a period of between 18 months and ten years. Only the very best Vintage Champagnes benefit form this kind of regime, and it should be no surprise, therefore, that the Gramona wines can take on qualities more usually associated with the most regal of their Champenois cousins.

For those who associate Cava with earthy, almost rubbery flavours, the legacy of mass-market mediocrity, this will come as something of a surprise. Instead the wines are astonishingly complex and take on nutty biscuity and autolytic notes, with exceptional balancing acidity and low levels of added sugar in the name of structural harmony.

The Gramonas have not achieved this by evading their heritage; on the contrary, it is an alchemical manipulation of the historical grapes (Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada) added to a little Chardonnay, that has forged a distinctive style. These are great wines and a source of as well as for great celebration as they broaden the quality sparkling wine category, fuelling it with interest and diversity

Find out more
Cava

Cava

Parellada, Macabeo and Xarel-lo are the dominant grapes used in the production of the Spanish sparkling wine Cava. Other grapes that are allowed in the blend are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Garnacha, Monastrell and Subirat (loosely related to Malvasia). Single varietal cavas tend to be made by 100% Macabeo (which is also the preferred grape for Cava, typically forming at least 50% in multi-varietal blends).

Cava can be white or rosé, the latter is produced by adding in still red wine sourced from Pinot Noir, Garnacha, Monastrell or Trepat into the fermented sparkling wine prior to bottling.

Over 95% of Cava production originates from in the Penedès area in Catalonia. Aside this, a further eight different regions throughout Spain are also producing small quantities of Cava. The village of Sant Sadurní d'Anoia is home to many of Spain's largest production houses , led by Codorniu and Freixenet.

Bodegas Gramona are acknowledged, in Spain and beyond, to be the the finest of all Cava Houses (it has recently been voted among the Top of 100 Wineries of 2010 in the Wines & Spirits Magazine. The essence of their winemaking approach centres on extensive ageing and low levels of sugar, just like many finest Champagnes.

Only wines produced in the traditional method (méthode champenoise) are awarded the DO (Denomination Origin) Cava, those produced by other processes such as tank fermentation, may only be labelled vinos espumosos (sparkling wines).

Find out more
Cava Blend

Cava Blend

Parellada, Macabeo and Xarel-lo are the dominant grapes used in the production of the Spanish sparkling wine Cava. Other grapes that are allowed in the blend are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Garnacha, Monastrell and Subirat (loosely related to Malvasia). Single varietal cavas tend to be made by 100% Macabeo (which is also the preferred grape for Cava, typically forming at least 50% in multi-varietal blends).

Cava can be white or rosé, the latter is produced by adding in still red wine sourced from Pinot Noir, Garnacha, Monastrell or Trepat into the fermented sparkling wine prior to bottling.

Over 95% of Cava production originates from in the Penedès area in Catalonia. Aside this, a further eight different regions throughout Spain are also producing small quantities of Cava. The village of Sant Sadurní d'Anoia is home to many of Spain's largest production houses , led by Codorniu and Freixenet.

Bodegas Gramona are acknowledged, in Spain and beyond, to be the the finest of all Cava Houses (it has recently been voted among the Top of 100 Wineries of 2010 in the Wines & Spirits Magazine. The essence of their winemaking approach centres on extensive ageing and low levels of sugar, just like many finest Champagnes.

Only wines produced in the traditional method (méthode champenoise) are awarded the DO (Denomination Origin) Cava, those produced by other processes such as tank fermentation, may only be labelled vinos espumosos (sparkling wines).

Find out more