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Author: Gisela

LIMITED EDITION: Alta Alella Pansa Blanca ‘rancio’, aged in barrel for 40 years

Written by Gisela on . Posted in Wines & Cavas.

2023.11.02

Embark on a journey through time with Alta Alella 1981 Ismael Manaut, a singular rancio wine from Pansa Blanca variety, crafted with passion and patience, that unveils a captivating story in every sip. This creation by Josep Maria Pujol-Busquets, from the 1981 vintage and meticulously aged, is a testament to the expertise and vinicultural legacy of Alta Alella.

Alta Alella 1981 Ismael Manaut’s history

Ismael Manaut (Martorelles, 1936-2017) was a prominent industrialist in Vallès Oriental, an important businessman in the DO Alella wine region and a man of great artistic interest and sensibility. Manaut was a crucial figure in the history of Alta Alella and Josep Maria Pujol-Busquets’ first steps as a winemaker.

In 1980, Manaut contacted Mr. Jaume Serra (home of great wine professionals such as the brothers Albert, Isidre and Carles Ferran; Quico Lluch; Imperial; etc.), to find an oenologist to start a project together with his friends Juan Peláez Fabra (Marquis of Alella) and Jaume Nadal (owner of Quatre Torres). Serra then recommended him to contact Josep Maria Pujol-Busquets, a promising young oenologist who was doing his military service at the time.

The businessman commissioned Josep Maria to create a new winery under the name Alta Alella SA, which eventually became his final graduation project. In 1981, the winery was built in Santa Maria de Martorelles and the first vintage of “Marqués de Alella 1981” was released, a wine made from 100% Pansa Blanca, which had such an outstanding success that Josep Peñín bought the entire production for his exclusive wine club, as well as the prestigious Harrods in London.

From that vintage, Josep Maria Pujol-Busquets kept some barrels to make a dry natural rancio wine, which over the years has been kept at Alta Alella SL. As a tribute and in gratitude to Manaut, it has been decided to make it into soleras, and now it is on sale to the public, in a limited edition (until now, it was only available for tasting internally at the winery).

Wine tasting notes

Sight – Intense golden colour.
Nose – Aromas of honey and spices, with hints of dried fruits and a background of toasted notes fromits long ageing.
Palate – Its great complexity is confirmed. Intense and dry with exceptional persistence. Long and concentrated.

Buy it now – VERY LIMITED EDITION

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Alta Alella & Celler de les Aus bubbles awarded by Wine Enthusiast

Written by Gisela on . Posted in Awards.

2023.11.13

Five cavas from the Pujol-Busquets family have been rated with more than 92 points in the latest tasting of the prestigious magazine

The international media Wine Enthusiast, based in New York, has given great ratings to the organic cavas from Alta Alella and a natural cava (without added sulfites) from Celler de les Aus.

Among them, the Alta Alella MIRGIN Reserva stands out, with a score of 94 points and the Editors’ Choice mention.

The other highlighted cavas are Alta Alella MIRGIN Rosé Reserva (94), Alta Alella LAIETÀ Gran Reserva (94), Alta Alella Mirgin OPUS Paraje Calificado Vallcirera (93) and AUS Capsigrany (92).

Last year, the magazine selected Alta Alella Mirgin OPUS as one of the best 100 wines of 2022.

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A journey through the history of Alta Alella in ‘Directo al paladar’ magazine

Written by Gisela on . Posted in Media, Winery.

2023.11.11

The specialized gastronomy magazine ‘Directo al Paladar’ explores the history of the Pujol-Busquets family and the Alta Alella winery. “In just 20 years, they have become a benchmark in the production of organic cavas,” says Jaime de las Heras. The family’s connection with the wine world, the first steps in the Can Genís estate, the singularity of their wines and cavas, and the various recognitions achieved are some of the topics covered by the journalist in this journey through the history of Alta Alella.

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Alta Alella, committed to Sustainable Wine Tourism

Written by Gisela on . Posted in Sustainability.

2023.10.15

Alta Alella is a member of the Barcelona Biosphere Commitment to Sustainable Tourism, a distinction that recognizes tour operators that are committed to: environmental sustainability, culture, working conditions, gender equality and social and economic return. In order to obtain certification, the applicant institution must demonstrate that it exhibits the following five principles:

  1. Commitment to a sustainable mission, vision and values of the organization, with an annual improvement plan in different areas.
  2. Ongoing training of our team to learn how to communicate and apply sustainability to the sector and the company.
  3. To support the World Charter for Sustainable Tourism, and contribute to achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
  4. Anticipate the negative impacts of our facilities and activities, and seek to benefit from their positive impacts.
  5. To take responsibility for visitor satisfaction and communicate our winery’s sustainable principles and initiatives.

Book now your next wine experience

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Alta Alella 10, best cava for the third year in a row by Guía Peñín

Written by Gisela on . Posted in Awards.

2023.09.22

The Pujol-Busquets family has earned a distinguished place in the Peñín Guide, consolidating its position as a leader in the production of high quality cavas and proving once again the singularity of the Alella – Serra de Mar territory. For the third consecutive year, Alta Alella 10 has been the cava with the highest rating, and 3 more cuvées from the winery stand out in the podium of the guide’s best wines. Furthermore, another 15 wines from Alta Alella and Celler de les Aus were rated with more than 90 points.

During the first half of 2023, the Guía Peñín tasting team has reviewed nearly 9,800 wines from more than 2,000 wineries from all over Spain. This year, a record number of 333 wines have been included in the podium, a small group of exceptional references that have been qualified with 95 points or more.

For the third year in a row, the Pujol-Busquets Family leads the Cava and sparkling wine ratings, and demonstrates once again the singularity of the Alella – Serra de Mar territory and its exceptional characteristics for producing great wines with ageing capacity. Out of the 23 sparkling wines in the podium, Alta Alella is the winery with the most outstanding references (4 cuvées), including the cava with the highest score in the guide: Alta Alella 10 · 2012.

This year’s edition of the guide also confirms the ageing potential of Pansa Blanca variety and its ability to captivate the most exigent palates, as the three vintages presented of Alta Alella Mirgin Exeo (2004, 2005 and 2017) have a remarkable presence in the podium.

Podium 95+

Alta Alella 10 2012 – 97 (Best cava)
Alta Alella Mirgin Exeo Evolució+ 2005 – 96
Alta Alella Mirgin Exeo Evolució+ 2004 – 95
Alta Alella Mirgin Exeo · Paraje Calificado Vallcirera 2017 – 95

Besides the cavas highlighted in the podium, 15 other Alta Alella and Celler de les Aus wines have been awarded more than 90 points. These distinctions reflect the dedication and passion of the family and show their ability to produce a wide range of high quality wines.

Cavas & ancestral wines 90+

Alta Alella Mirgin Opus · Paraje Calificado Vallcirera 2019 – 94
Alta Alella LAIETÀ 2018 & 2019 – 94
Alta Alella MIRGIN 2019 – 92
Alta Alella LAIETÀ Rosé 2019 – 91
Alta Alella MIRGIN Rosé 2019 – 90
Aus Bruant 2020 – 90
Aus Pét-Nat 2021 & 2022 – 90

Wines 90+

Alta Alella Dolç de Neu – 94
Alta Alella Cau d’en Genís Evolució+2017 Magnum – 93
Alta Alella Cau d’en Genís 2022 – 92                         
Alta Alella Lanius 2021 – 92
Alta Alella Orbus 2021 – 91
Alta Alella Dolç Mataró 2020 – 91
Alta Alella Cau d’en Genís red 2021 – 90
Alta Alella Aus Tallarol 2022 – 90      

All these wines will be presented at the Salón de los Mejores Vinos de España in Madrid (IFEMA), a very important fair for the wine sector, on 13th and 14th November. The organizers maintain their commitment to quality by selecting only those wines that have obtained 90 points or more in the “Guía Peñín de los Mejores Vinos de España 2024” (Best Wines of Spain by Peñín Guide 2024). The new edition will be released mid-October, but the scores can already be checked online (registration is required).

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Harvest 2023 kicked off at Alta Alella

Written by Gisela on . Posted in Winery.

2023.08.02

The harvest is always the most special and important time in the winery, when we gather the fruits after a year of hard work and passion dedicated to the vineyard. We are thrilled to share with you the key points of the 2023 harvest:

Let’s start harvesting!
On July 31st, we picked the first grapes of the year, starting earliest harvest ever in the winery’s history.

Fist grapes of 2023 harvest (July 2023)

Drought impact on vineyards
This year’s growing season was marked by a rainfall that is more characteristic of a desert climate. This has led to irregular growth in the vineyards, especially in the older vines. The roots of the older vines are deeper and, as we have had years of drought, they have practically no water and it is more difficult for them to develop. The younger vines, on the other hand, root closer to the surface and have been able to take advantage of the low quantity of water that has fallen. Also, the vines at the edges of the vineyard have grown more than those in the middle, as the roots have had to compete less for the nutrients.

Image showing the irregular growth of the vineyard (June 2023)

Meticulous selection in the vineyard
Due to the conditions described, the vines have produced very different grapes and it will be a year of careful selection and picking the same vineyard multiple times to ensure that all the grapes are at their optimum ripeness. A task that we are able to carry out at Alta Alella because we harvest entirely by hand, and we have a team that knows the vineyard well, as it is the same one that looks after it throughout the year.

Picture of the Paraje Calificado Vallcirera with Can Genís in the background (August 2023)

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Double Gold Medal for Alta Alella Cava

Written by Gisela on . Posted in Awards.

2023.07.21

The renowned international challenge Gilbert & Gaillard 2023 has rewarded our cavas with the Double Gold Medal, the highest distinction within the contest. 

Tasting notes from the jury:

Alta Alella Mirgin Exeo Evolució+ 2004: «Lemon yellow colour. Nose of white fruits and stewed citrus fruits, floral and vegetal touch, note of rancio. Mature and fresh palate with beautiful aromatic depth. Well-defined fruit supported by a delicate bitterness. Oxidative style, for rich dishes.»

Alta Alella Mirgin Opus 2019: «Golden yellow colour. Nose with aromas of toast, crème fraîche, citrus and ripe white fruits. Pleasantly oxidative mouthfeel combining a fleshy attack, suppleness and finesse, aromatic density with a ripe and delicate fruit. Well developed and charming.»

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Alta Alella gives wine bottles a second life

Written by Gisela on . Posted in Sustainability.

2023.06.29

Reusing bottles is not a new thing at our winery. Perhaps you were not aware of it, but all the natural wines of the Celler de les Aus have been released on the market in reused cava bottles since their beginnings. Until now this was not always communicated, but it has recently been included on the labels of the wines and cavas so that our customers can enjoy the wine twice as much, knowing that they are making a conscious choice to support sustainability.

From now on, at Alta Alella and Celler de les Aus we are taking another step forward in our commitment to the environment and sustainability, and we introduce a new system to recuperate and reuse our bottles. This process not only reduces waste but also support a circular economy by giving wine bottles a new life.

How does it work?

Through this initiative, our Wine Tourism Centre will collect all the bottles that visitors consume at our winery and afterwards they will undergo a rigorous process of cleaning and sterilization, which will be carried out by POTS, a company from Barcelona. Once they are as good as new -better than new, as they will now be more sustainable-, the bottles will be returned to the winery so that we can bottle new wines and they can be enjoyed again by our visitors.

In 2022, we received 10,000 visitors to our winery. In addition, we will also recuperate bottles that our distributor in the province of Girona supplies to the HORECA channel, a collaboration that increases the amount of bottle that will be reused. With this, we aim to make a significant difference to reducing waste, cutting down on the need to produce new glass and decreasing our carbon footprint.

Growing a more sustainable future

As a family-run winery, we are very aware that we must contribute to a more sustainable future, so that new generations can enjoy the land as much as we do. That’s why we will continue to explore new ways to reduce our environmental impact and inspire others to do the same.

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GX Rosé 2022: Gold medal at Grenaches du Monde

Written by Gisela on . Posted in Awards.

2023.06.27

The prestigious international competition for wines made with the Grenache variety has awarded the Gold Medal to Alta Alella GX Rosé 2022.

This edition of the competition (the 11th) was held for the first time outside Europe, specifically in New York, and more than 800 Grenache wines were tasted by the jury, made up of 80 professionals from the sector including distributors, sommeliers, importers, as well as journalists and influential people from the world of wine.

Alta Alella GX Rosé is a rosé wine made with the Garnatxa Negra and Garnatxa Peluda varieties, with a remarkable intensity of fresh strawberry aromas, citrus notes and rose petals. It is fresh, well balanced and with a distinguished minerality and salinity. A perfect match to enjoy on hot summer days.

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