Recaredo

156 months of patience: Turó d'en Mota

In 1999, Recaredo bottled the first single-vineyard cava in history. Not as a marketing stunt, but out of conviction: The 0.97 hectares of the Turó d'en Mota, planted in 1940, deserve to stand alone. The north-facing slope with its shady areas provides Xarel-lo-Grapes with exceptional acidity. What follows is unprecedented: at least 156 months of ageing on the lees - over 13 years.

The result convinced Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: 95.5 points for the Turó d'en Mota 2005 - the highest-rated Spanish sparkling wine of all time. The current Turó d'en Mota 2011 comes from the same vines over 80 years old on calcareous soil, poor in organic matter, rich in character.

The Corpinnat revolution

In January 2019, Ton Mata and Xavier Gramona left Cava-DO together. The two had had enough: too many industrial mass producers under the same roof. Together with Gramona, Llopart, Nadal, Sabaté i Coca and Torelló founded them Corpinnat - a collective brand with strict rules.

The requirements are radical: only own grapes, only hand-picked, only local grape varieties, at least 18 months on the lees. Ton Mata became co-president. His vision: sparkling wine as an expression of terroir, not as an industrial product. Today, Corpinnat comprises 16 wineries that are committed to this quality standard.

Lime, cork and craftsmanship

The 50 hectares of vineyards of Recaredo lie on the right bank of the Bitlles river, nestled in the hilly landscape of the coster del Bitlles. The soil is extremely calcareous - the white stones between the rows of vines give it away immediately. Since 2010 Recaredo has been Demeter-certified, as the first winery in the region.

While other cava producers use crown corks and icing, Recaredo insists on Natural cork for the entire bottle fermentation process. Manual disgorging without cold shock is craftsmanship in its purest form - the cellar master removes the yeast sediment simply by skilfully moving the bottle. No machine can do that.

The range: from entry-level to enoteca

If you want to discover Recaredo, the best place to start is with the Subtle Brut Nature36 months on the lees, characterised by Macabeu and Xarel-lo, accessible and yet complex. The Serral del Vell 2018 comes from the single vineyard of the same name below Montserrat - 255 to 280 metres above sea level, cooler microclimate, even more finesse.

The top wines are the single vineyard wines: Reserva Particular with at least 60 months of ageing and the legendary Turó d'en Mota with its 13+ years. For collectors, the Enoteca series offers historic vintages from the archive - bottles that have sometimes spent 20 years or more on the lees.

All wines are Brut Nature: zero grams of dosage. What is in the bottle comes exclusively from the grape and the time.