Collita Roja Sumoll Celler Pardas Penedès Catalunya 2015

Description

A great new discovery

Celler Pardas is part of the new generation of producers in Catalonia focussing on their terroirs and indigenous grapes such as Xarel.lo, Macabeo and Sumoll. The project began in 1996 when local winegrowers Ramón Parera and Jordi Arnan bought the Can Comas estate in Alt Penedés. The medieval farmhouse was surrounded by 60 hectares of forest, pasture and scrub land cut through by the Bitlles River. They cleared some areas and started planting cuttings shortly after. Their vineyards are scattered across three main sites with varied soil profiles, ranging from rocky clay and limestone terraces to deep alluvial soils. Their focus is preserving the balance and health of their land, they farm organically without irrigation, and aim to work in partnership with nature.

The wines can be divided into three categories: whites are based on Xarel.lo & Malvasia de Sitges whilst Sumoll is the star of the reds, the freshness and long ripening cycle perfectly suits the area in this age of global warming. All the wines are certified organic. No herbicides, pesticides nor synthetic products are used. The vineyards are not irrigated and are worked as little as possible to encourage the growth of natural cover crops.

With 7 years of bottle age, the Collita Roja is a rare opportunity to taste the outstanding ageing potential of single-varietal Sumoll with its bright, linear acid and focused tannins.

Grapes are sourced from the Can Canals vineyard and the Pont Nou vineyard, the latter of which was planted in 1949. They sit by the cooling El Cardener river, by the town of Viladordis. Grapes are hand harvested, de-stemmed and crushed. The maceration on skins lasts for 15 days, before the wine is fermented with native yeasts. Aging takes place is a mix of 625-litre concrete tanks and stainless steel for 6 months. The wine is bottled without using finning agents, clarification or cold stabilization.

Mid pale in colour, with an extremely classy and developed Barolo-ish nose. Wonderful ripe fruit & liquorice mouthfeel with complexity and exceptional elegance. This gives many a top Northern Italian Nebbiolo a run for its money.