Great news for Alta Alella lovers! We are proud to share that various of our cavas have been featured in the ‘Catalan sparkling wines special report’, written by the sparkling wine expert Tom Hewson and published by renowned Master of Wine and journalist Tim Atkin.

In the report, a total of seven cavas of the Pujol-Busquets Family have been distinguished with a score of more than 90 points, all of them organic and with the quality and traceability stamp Integral Producer (Elaborador Integral).

Alta Alella Mirgin, “everything you could hope for”

Special mention has received Alta Alella Mirgin 2019, which has been chosen “Entry Level Catalan Sparkling Of The Year” (wines up to 15 €). This cava is, according to Hewson, “everything you could hope for”. “A delicious, perfectly-tuned wine of terrific value with its vivid, juicy lime fruit and marine aromatics” he adds.

Alta Alella Laietà Rosé 2019 also stands out in its category, which has obtained the best score for a sparkling rosé. “One of the region’s [Catalonia] most impressive rose sparkling wines, this is invitingly fragrant with cherry, strawberry and lightly creamy notes”, describes the expert.

All the ratings for Alta Alella

• Alta Alella Mirgin Exeo Evolució+ 2005 – Cava de Guarda Superior Gran Reserva 94 points
• Alta Alella Mirgin Exeo 2017 – Paratge Qualificat Vallcirera 94 points
• Alta Alella Mirgin Opus 2019 – Paratge Qualificat Vallcirera 94 points
• Alta Alella Laietà 2019 – Cava de Guarda Superior Gran Reserva 93 points
• Alta Alella Laietà Rosé 2018 – Cava de Guarda Superior Gran Reserva 93 points (Top score for a rosé sparkling wine)
• Alta Alella Mirgin 2019 – Cava de Guarda Superior Reserva 93 points (Best Catalan entry-level sparkling wine)
• Alta Alella Mirgin Rosé 2019 – Cava de Guarda Superior Reserva 93 points

Hewson also highlights the uniqueness of the Alella territory, the Sauló (sandy granitic soil), the Mediterranean climate and the proximity to the sea. These are characteristics that the author considers unique and that produce “open wines”.

You can read the full report by purchasing it on the website https://timatkin.com

We are delighted to reveal that Alta Alella Mirgin Exeo Evolució+ 2004 is part of the exclusive World’s Best Sommeliers’ Selection

On January 16th, thirty of the world’s most distinguished sommeliers traveled from all corners of the globe to the United Kingdom to participate in the premiere of the World’s Best Sommeliers’ Selection, an exclusive tasting by William Reed (The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and World’s Best Vineyards). Sommeliers from 50 best restaurants such as  Diego Vásquez Luque (Central y Kjolle), Rodrigo Briseño (Disfrutar), Miguel Ángel Millán (DiverXO), Mohamed Benabdallah (Asador Etxebarri), Nina Hojgaard Jensen (Alchemist), Jhonel Faelnar (Atomix), Rubén Elias Velazquez (Quintonil), Agnese Morandi (Table by Bruno Verjus), Milan Rukavina (Gaggan Anand) and Kristell Monot (Mugaritz), amongst others.

From Alta Alella, we had the great opportunity to present the collectible cava from the Pujol-Busquets Family ‘Alta Alella Mirgin Exeo Evolució+ 2004’, which has been included in the final selection. “Delicate aromatic nose dominated by ripe lemon zest, dried orange, dried apple and cinnamon spice. Toasted bread and almonds are found in the background. The palate is dynamic with fine, persistent bubbles and a salty touch, with mild acidity. Ripe yellow peaches, candied lemon, dried fruits and a finish with a quality bitter touch”, highlighted the sommeliers.

Alta Alella Mirgin Exeo Evolució+ is an organic and vintage cava, with 18 years of patient ageing on lees, made with a selection of the best grapes from Paraje Vallcirera: Pansa Blanca and Chardonnay. This is the first vineyard planted by the family when they settled in Can Genís in 1991. The vines grow in Sauló (sandy granitic soil) and less than 2km from the Mediterranean sea, conditions that give the grapes a natural acidity that is essential to make age-worthy cavas.

Food pairing recommendations

The professionals that tasted Alta Alella Mirgin Exeo Evolució+ 2004 find it wonderful to be paired with “creamy foods and also pickled flavours that would reflect the secondary fermentation notes”. They suggest, for example, “fresh kumamoto oysters with a mignonette or a fried mushroom pastry with truffle cream”, or enjoying it “as a refreshing beverage after the first course”.

Being part of this privileged list is a reward to many years of work aiming to produce great wines, and confirms the aging potential of Pansa Blanca and its ability to captivate the most exquisite palates.

· Josep Maria Pujol-Busquets has received the distinction during the celebration of the Guía Vivir el Vino Awards in Madrid.

· “It is elegant, direct and with a fresh and long acidity, which makes this ageworthy wine great” – Raúl Serrano

We are thrilled to share some exciting news: Alta Alella 10 2012, the collectible cava made by the Pujol-Busquets Family, has received the “Magnificent Best Sparkling Wine” award from Vivir el Vino 2024 Wine Guide. A recognition that demonstrates Alta Alella’s commitment to producing high-quality cavas.

Josep Maria Pujol-Busquets, owner and founder of Alta Alella, has received the award during the celebration of Vivir el Vino Guide event, held on January 29th at the Cofidís Alcázar Theater in Madrid.

Alta Alella 10 is the result of many years producing high-quality cavas that aim to represent their origin landscape, influenced by the Mediterranean (vineyards located less than 2 km from the sea) and vines that are grown on Sauló (sandy soil of decomposing granite). These are distinctive characteristics of the Serra de Mar territory (Barcelona), which give the grapes an extraordinary natural acidity suitable to produce age-worthy cavas. This one in particular is patiently aged on the lees for at least 10 years.

“(…) A sparkling wine that maintains the expression of its fruit, from the first hit the freshness invades you and maintains the great complexity all along. It is elegant, direct and with a fresh and long acidity, which makes this ageworthy wine great”, describes Raúl Serrano, director of the media and sommelier with more than 30 years of experience in the wine industry. With a score of 99 points out of 100, Alta Alella 10 is the best cava listed by the guide.

Three more cavas from the winery have obtained great ratings from Guía Vivir el Vino 2024: Alta Alella Mirgin Opus Paraje Calificado Vallcirera 2019 with 96 points, Alta Alella Laietà 2019 with 94 points, and Alta Alella Mirgin 2019with 92 points.

Vivir el vino is one of the most popular wine magazines in Spain and it publishes the annual Vivir el Vino Guide, which brings together the best wines that can be found on the market that year. Raúl Serrano selects the 365 wines that conform the list, a different wine for each day of the year. Among all of them, they also highlight the “11 Magnificent” awards, which determine the best wine in each category. A blind tasting in which Serrano and the tasting panel choose “the best of the best”, in which Alta Alella 10 2012 has been designated Best Sparkling Wine.

“The color of a summer sunset, this wine has aromas of nectarine, cantaloupe and freshly ground white pepper. It offers brilliant acidity and flavors of tangerine, strawberry, lemongrass, butterscotch and dried thyme”. This is how Mike DeSimone, writer and wine educator, describes our Alta Alella GX Rosé in Wine Enthusiast, one of the most widely read and popular wine magazines in the industry. The specialized media highly recommends our organic rosé, giving the wine a score of 92.

Alta Alella GX Rosé is a fresh and direct rosé with a distinctive salty minerality, with which we want to express the Mediterranean character of the Red Grenache and Hairy Grenache, the two grape varieties with which we make it.

Such as all our wines and cavas, it is organic and vegan-friendly.

Can’t wait to taste it? Buy it now in our online store

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.

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).

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.»

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.

Buy it now

Organic cava

Alta Alella LAIETÀ Gran Reserva: 92

“Pale sesame seed and miso flavors meet in this clean, savory sparkler. Completely dry, it presents xarel-lo under the light influence of chardonnay and pinot noir. An austere Cava to pour with cracked crab.” – Wine & Spirits Magazine

Alta Alella MIRGIN Rosé Reserva: 90

“Rustic austerity takes this monastrell rosé toward tannins in its red fruit flavors that last. Dried cherries and Ruby Red grapefruit hold to the sense of austerity. For cured duck sausages.” – Wine & Spirits Magazine

Alta Alella Mirgin EXEO Paraje Calificado Vallcirera: 90

“Rich and not overtly sweet, this blend of xarel-lo and chardonnay has a peach melba flavor to its toasty fruit, clean and fresh. Tinged in pink.” – Wine & Spirits Magazine

Natural cava (no added sufites)

AUS Bruant: 91

“There’s sweetness to this xarel-lo’s underripe strawberry flavors and caramelized baked-apple notes. The texture is creamy, even as the acidity provides lasting freshness. For caviar-topped fried oysters.” – Wine & Spirits Magazine

The activity ‘Microtheatre amongst vineyards’ has received the award for the Best Wine Tourism experience in the areas of Culture, Social and Sports.

Alta Alella has been awarded at the Wine Tourism Vinari Awards with the activity ‘Microtheatre amongst vineyards’, which the winery organizes together with the entity Microsensacions teatrals, as the Best Wine Tourism Experience in the areas of Culture, Social and Sports. A distinction ex aequo with ‘Camins del Cava’, an activity organized by AECAVA.

The Vinari Wine Tourism Awards, now in their second edition, aim to promote and boost quality wine tourism in Catalonia as a local activity and to encourage its practice. At the awards ceremony, held on 31 March in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, Mireia Pujol-Busquets expressed her gratitude for the award to the entire organization and her wine tourism team, and also took the opportunity to highlight the avant-garde philosophy of the winery and the family: “We have been pioneers in terms of product and viticulture, we have been practising organic farming for 30 years, since the beginning, and we have been making sulphite-free wines for 18 years, and with wine tourism we have also wanted to be innovative. We decided 10 years ago that we wanted to share the culture of wine in a very personalized way. With wine tourism we have the opportunity to create customer loyalty through the experience and this is unbeatable”, she pointed out.

Alta Alella is located in the heart of the Serralada de Marina Natural Park, a privileged area just 10 km from Barcelona and 2 km from the sea. The winery’s Wine Tourism Centre is open almost every day of the year, and organizes weekly activities, from visits, tastings and wine pairings, to less common experiences in a winery, such as yoga sessions, theatre, book presentations, children’s workshops, etc. “One of the nice things about wine tourism is that you can create synergies with other sectors: music, art, gastronomy, theatre… With whom we share values and can communicate the culture of wine in a more personalized and original way”, explains Mireia.

Microtheatre among vineyards

This award-winning wine tourism experience is a circuit of small-format plays staged in alternative spaces. During the activity, different areas of the estate (cellar, cellar, vineyard…) are transformed into theatrical scenarios, where the audience enjoys 3 plays from different companies coordinated by the entity Microsensacions teatrals. Each play includes a tasting of a wine or cava from the winery, guided by a member of the sommelier team.

This is a cultural proposal that focuses on the sensations of the participants, both out of their everyday space, rather than the more careful aesthetics normally required for a regular show, playing at being part of what is happening and will not be repeated.

The activity was programmed on several occasions during 2022, this season has already been experienced in the month of February and we hope to be able to offer it again very soon! For the meantime, we welcome you to check out our agenda of activities.