Vins El Cep

Gelida Brut Gran Reserva

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Denominacion de Origen

D.O. Cava

Location

Sant Sadurni D’Anoia, Penedès, Barcelona, Spain. The vineyards are located in Penedès superior in Sant Sadurni d’Anoia, Gelida, and Sant Llorenç

Varietal

50%Xarel·Lo, 20%Macabeu, 15%Chardonnay,15%Pinot Noir

Vineyards

Can Castany, Can Miquel, Can Prats, Can Simon

Year(s) Planted

Between 1965 and 1990

Viticulture

The estate's best vineyard of each variety have been selected for this wine. Macabeo from Can Simón, Xarel-lo and Pinot Noir from Can Prats, Parellada from Can Castany and Chardonnay from Can Miquel de les Planes, in Gelida. Vins el Cep is a unique producer of sparkling wine from Spain because all of their vineyards are certified organic and are estate owned. This was the first producer in Spain to employ biodynamic practices at their estate.

Soils

Calcareous sandy soils.

Climate

Mediterranean

Winemaking

Methode champenoise. The hand harvested grapes enter the cellar by gravity. A gentle press is carried out and only free run and 50% of the first press must is used. Each variety and vineyard plot is fermented separately in small tanks to protect their individuality. Secondary fermentation is carried out in bottle.

Aging

A minimum of 48 months in bottle, up to 50 months depending on the vintage.

Comments

Vins el Cep (roughly translates to wines from the vineyard) epitomizes the concept of "grower" sparkling wine. Vins el Cep was the pioneering producer of organic and biodynamically farmed sparkling wine in Spain. Today, the winery produces wine exclusively from estate owned vineyards - not a single berry or liter of purchased must or wine enters the cellar every year. In contrast, Vins el Cep is extremely strict with their selection and sells several thousand liters a year in bulk to large, commercial Cava producers when quality is not to their standards. Maite Esteve, the matriarch of the company, is the paradigm of the concept of a vigneron. She is a grape grower, winemaker, CFO, label designer, marketer, director of sales, etc. Gelida Brut Gran Reserva is the flagship wine of Vins el Cep, and beautifully marries the richness of extended in-bottle ageing with the clean, lifted, and linear style of the wines from this pioneering sparkling wine producer.