2005 Cava Gran Reserva Brut Celler Batlle Gramona

The masters of long ageing in Catalonia go a step further with this wine, ageing it for more than 10 years on the lees, disgorging, then ageing for five more years. The result proves that top sparkling Catalan wine is well worth cellaring, with the complexity of brioche notes mingling with truffle and bitter almond hints. The wine is utterly distinctive, very harmonious, and the best comes after tasting, when it leaves a vivid image in the mind. Biodynamic.

My favourite sparkling from Gramona year in and year out is the 2005 Celler Batlle Gran Reserva Brut. It is made with a preferred, top-range blend of 75% Xarello and 25% Macabeo and is topped up with their famous centenary reserve of old wine kept in a solera system since the times of their grandfather. The wine matured in the bottle in contact with the lees for 110 months, almost 10 years! It has a decadent nose of balsam, sourdough and diesel-like minerality with some medicinal touches, quite aromatic. Here they use their famous old dosage that always give the wine that special Gramona character. The palate is quite sharp, with very good acidity and lively bubbles that are small and abundant. As good as anticipated.