III Lustros, Brut Nature 2014

Gramona is particularly famous for two things The love of grapes

Xarel-lo and the long yeast ageing periods. 'III Lustros' comes from the most important single vineyard of the house "Finca Font de Jui", planted with 70% Xarel-lo and 30% Macabeu on chateau-style limestone loam soils. In 1959, this wine was made for the first time like this and since then it has been the benchmark for long-aged sparkling wines from Spain. It ages for 80 months in the bottle.

All wines that are matured for longer than five years lie under natural cork in Gramona's cellars. This way, the wine is not hermetically sealed, but receives micro-oxidation, which gives the yeasts just the right amount of oxygen to develop their full aroma potential after a long maturing period. And this wine has plenty of that. It seems to change in the glass with every minute. It would be criminal to serve this wine in a flute and not in a white wine glass.

Lemon yellow with silver reflections

The slightly oxidative nose, combined with ripe apricot and lime zest lend a multi-layered freshness, oriental herbs make themselves felt. With a little oxygen, aromas of ripe banana peel, macadamia and sandalwood come to the fore.

Present but fantastically integrated acidity carries the aromas that reflect the nose. Ripe apricots and pear give a fine fruitiness, salty minerality combines with nutty-creamy nuances to give a smooth mouthfeel. With its fine perlage and oriental herbal notes, III Lustros has an animating drinking flow that fills the palate after each sip.