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Alella
Alta Alella Mirgin
We’ve been fans of Alta Alella Mirgin’s organic Cavas for a while now, hugely impressed by the sheer quality and style of these top quality, age-worthy sparkling wines. Impressed too by the fact that this family run business (Josep Maria and Cristina Pujol-Busquets Guillen and their daughters Georgina and Mireia) has created such a range of wines and styles while being mindful of their location in the heart of the Serralada de Marina nature park. They have been dedicated to organic farming from the start.
The winery is clearly dynamic, creating single-parcel, site-specific, sublime Cavas that are among the very best Cava and indeed sparkling wines (Champagne included) in the world. Resurrecting old plots, while elevating indigenous grapes, Alta Alella have created top-tier organic wines, sparkling, still and natural. It is the still and natural wines that is helping cement our respect and relationship with them.
We were impressed by the quality and value of their still wines and are pleased to have recently introduced both the Alta Alella PB and GX. Two organic wines that reflect the hard work and dedication of the family. The vines are grown about two kilometres from the sea on hungry, well drained Saulo soils. Basically acidic white granite sandy soil, and PB stands for Pansa Blanca, the local name for Xarel-lo. It is a great example of saline minerality that Pansa Blanca is capable of. GX stands for Garnatxa Negra and this red wine has a freshness that gives way to a fruity, balanced wine with soft tannins.
In addition to the PB and GX we were also seriously impressed by the natural wines from the family’s Celler de Les Aus. Headed up by Mireia the winery is a micro-project which is dedicated to natural wines, maximising on the organic focus of the parent winery while experimenting with multiple wine making techniques. We particularly liked the Tallarol, Pansa Blanca, which is made with a hands-off approach and no added sulphur in Amphoras and Egg-Tanks. The wine has a lovely full mouth feel and nice grip, with yellow apple, pears and orange peel and a delicious saline acidity to give a lasting impression. This is a cracking example of a ‘Natural Wine’.
You can’t talk about natural wines and not include a Pet-Nat and we’ve added Mireia’s AUS. Pansa Blanca again, natural fermentation, nothing added, bottled. That’s it and its deliciously light and refreshing, with green apples, pears and a hint of fennel on the nose and on the palate. Both of these wines are crying out for picnic and lunches on the lawn, low alcohol, refreshing and great value.
* Pansa Blanca (Xarel-lo) is typically not overly perfumed while being concentrated but light. Aromas of white fruit, citrus (grapefruit, lemon) plus a hint of aniseed (fennel, green anise). Fineness and tightness dominate the mouthfeel and has a pleasing slight bitter and salty finish.