Gramona Imperial Gran Reserva Cava 2014
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Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Pale yellow with golden highlights. Good intensity. Ripe white fruit such us apple and peach. Aneseed notes, fennel. Nice balance between notes of freshly baked bread and subtle citrus peel aromas. Dried nuts. Subtle toast and yeast notes with buttery aromas.
Wide on entry, full and creamy on the palate. Velvet-like bubbles. Refreshing finish. The white flowers and fruit aromas come through again on the palate against a backdrop of freshly baked bread. A sparkling with structure, which shows its personality and finesse year after year.
Gramona Imperial is particularly versatile and can be enjoyed throughout the meal, from the ‘aperitif’ through to the ‘digestif’.
Blend: 40% Xarel·lo, 40% Macabeu, 15% Chardonnay, 5% Parellada
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
2014 was the first year when the still wines from Gramona were certified by Demeter and when they started using their Coquard press. It was not an easy year, one with plenty of rains and maladies, which resulted in a crop that was 15% smaller than the average at Gramona. Their classical 2014 Brut Imperial is a blend of 40% each Xarello and Macabeo with 15% Chardonnay and 5% Parellada that aged sur lie for 51 months in bottle and was adjusted with six grams of sugar to make it a balanced and approachable sparkling. This is one of the flagship wines from Gramona, with a style that is marked by the old wine added in the expedition liqueur, which gives a specific profile that's nutty and has aromas that always make me think of an older wine. They have been moderating the use of this wine, and the touch is subtler, as what they have been using is an infusion of almond peel in this old wine. They never used this expedition wine for III Lustros or Celler Batlle, because they thought the long aging provided enough complexity. However, Imperial has been getting fresher and fresher every year. This is still aged in bottle with a crown stopper, but the magnums keep under cork and all the following wines are aged under cork. There is great freshness, which makes the wine vibrant and tasty, and it has a balanced finish and integrated, small bubbles that provide a creamy texture. And the sugar is almost imperceptible, just adding balance for the acidity. The percentage of Chardonnay will be lower in following years to comply with the Corpinnat requirements. 2014 has to be one of the finest vintages for Imperial. All of the bottles display the disgorgement date and the number of months the wine matured with the lees in bottle.
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James Suckling
A bright and fruity Cava, suggesting peach pit, lemons and yuzu. The bubbles foam to the surface, carrying fleshy peaches in their wake; a fine strand of acidity keeps this on message. From organically grown grapes.
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Gramona is located in the Penedes region of Spain just 45 minutes from Barcelona along Spain's Mediterranean coast. The Climate in the Penedes is mild and warm, benefiting mostly from a Mediterranean influence. However, as the differences in elevation are quite dramatic (with some vines at over 700 meters), there are many microclimates in the zone. Soil in the region is not particularly rich in organic material (as is often the case in great winemaking regions) with high levels of sand and clay.
Gramona is, unfortunately, one of the last remaining family-owned cava houses of the Penedes. Here, elderly ladies from the village carefully wrap each bottle before being packed for transport and the entire operation is carried out by people who love the family and the estate. For the property, their reference points are in Champagne in France, and they regularly taste wines from this area next to their own (with often astonishing results). However, pricing remains very low compared to even the most mundane, negociant Champagnes on the market. These are some of the best values in our portfolio.
Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.
A superior source of white grapes for the production of Spain’s prized sparkling wine, Cava, the Penedes region is part of Catalunya and sits just south of Barcelona. Medio Penedès is the most productive source of the Cava grapes, Macabeo, Xarel-lo, and Parellada. Penedes also grows Garnacha and Tempranillo (here called Ull de Llebre in Catalan), for high quality reds and rosès.