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Alta Alella
Two kilometres from the Mediterranean, fifteen from Barcelona's Ramblas – no winery comes closer to Catalonia's capital. Alta Alella nestles within the Serralada de Marina nature reserve, where bees, hawks and lizards live amongst the vineyard rows. Josep Maria and Cristina Pujol-Busquets purchased the overgrown estate Can Genís in 1991 and rescued 60-year-old vines. Today their daughters Mireia and Georgina run the winery in the second generation – organically from day one.
More about Alta Alella
Cava Without Compromise
The sandy granite soil known as Sauló shapes the wines of Alta Alella like no other factor. High in acidity, almost chalk-free, with perfect drainage – this is where the autochthonous Xarel·lo (here called Pansa Blanca) thrives to perfection. Yields remain below 6,000 kg per hectare, with some parcels producing even less. What emerges from this tastes of salty sea breeze and crushed chalk – sparkling wines of crystalline precision.
The Mirgin Reserva Brut Nature embodies this style: completely without dosage, bone-dry to the last drop. In 2006, Alta Alella went even further and produced Spain's first sulphur-free Cava – years before the term natural wine even existed.
Vallcirera – a Grand Cru in the Nature Reserve
In 1992, the Pujol-Busquets planted their first own vines in the vineyard site Vallcirera. Three decades later, it is Catalonia's only organic Paratge Qualificat – the Spanish equivalent of Grand Cru – and moreover the only one within a nature conservation area. Parcels AX155 and AX160 lie at 90 metres elevation, facing south-east towards the sea. Here Pansa Blanca and Chardonnay grow side by side.
The Mirgin Opus Paratge Qualificat Vallcirera matures for 54 months on the lees, sealed with natural cork rather than a crown cap. In 2019, it received the highest rating of all Paratge Qualificat Cavas in the Peñín Guide. Critics write: the most complete and complex among Cavas Grand Crus.
Celler de les Aus – the Radical Side
In 2012, Mireia founded the project Celler de les Aus – named after the birds (aus = bird in Catalan) that nest in the nature reserve. The wines from this line forgo any sulphur addition. The AUS Bruant Brut Nature dances wild and lively in the glass, with notes of pear and yeast. The Bruant demonstrates that even unsulphured sparkling wines can possess depth and longevity.
Sweet Perfection
Alongside the sparkling wines, Alta Alella cultivates a special specialty: the Dolç Mataró. The Mataró grape (known elsewhere as Mourvèdre) is transformed here into a natural sweet wine – without fortification, achieved solely through residual sweetness from dried berries. Chocolate, ripe plums and a hint of rosemary – perfect with blue cheese or dark chocolate.
From the original two hectares, there are now 50. Investment in new vineyards continues; soon there will be 90 hectares. The tradition of the Gramona house may be older, yet scarcely any Cava house combines radical environmental protection with such consistency as Alta Alella – right on the doorstep of Barcelona.