This year's Decanter World Wine Awards Regional Trophy for Spanish Sparkling over £15 went to Albet i Noya, Barrica 21 Brut, Catalunya 2007 (12%)
Tasted against:
- Loxarel, 109, Catalunya 2002
- Raventós i Blanc, De Nit 2011
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It was just over a century ago that the Albet family laid down its roots at Can Vendrell. In the 1920s it started selling wine in bulk to other wineries, then in the late ’70s began bottling its own wines; today the winery exports more than 80% of its production.
Over the years the family acquired further parcels of land, and today current owner Josep M Albet i Noya manages 80 hectares of vineyards, all organic. He says this Trophy winner is a true expression of the Can Vendrell estate and its clay soils, which contain a high concentration of magnesium.
‘The effort of the viticulturists and oenologists show through in the wine. The wine’s fresh character evokes the Penedès terroir and through our use of the classical Champagne varieties (60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir) our aim is to create a truly world-class sparkling wine.’
Of Albet i Noya’s production of one million bottles a year, only a maximum of 9,000 are Barrica 21. The wine is part of an impressively broad portfolio of 50 wines that feature 24 different grape varieties – each planted on a specific terroir.
Written by Decanter
