Celler Credos de Recaredo "Miranius" Catalonia, Spain 2022

FROM ROSENTHAL:

THE WINE: “Miranius,” which translates loosely into Catalan as “peers into nests,” a tribute to the foxes which sometimes roam their biodiverse vineyards looking for a snack, is 100% Xarel·lo. Fermentation proceeds spontaneously in stainless steel, and the wine rests on its fine lees in steel for six months before being bottled. “Miranius” displays the brisk, agile side of Xarel·lo, a variety whose relatively neutral fruit character allows for a powerful articulation of calcareous minerality. Xarel·lo’s naturally high acidity brings balance in this warm Mediterranean climate, and indeed this wine is bright, saline, and immensely refreshing, as well as a tremendous value.

THE PRODUCER: The Recaredo estate in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia is justly regarded as the greatest producer of sparkling wine in the Penedès. Their long-lees-aged, zero-dosage, single-vintage, hand-disgorged wines are ubiquitous on the greatest wine lists in Catalunya and in Spain in general, and we at RWM have greatly relished building their reputation here in the United States over the past dozen years of our partnership.

Under the stewardship of the visionary Ton Mata, whose grandfather Josep founded the estate in 1924, Recaredo became the first biodynamic producer in the Penedès (certified in 2010), as well as the first producer in the region to bottle a single-vineyard sparkling wine (the peerless “Turó d’En Mota,” which spends over a decade on its lees), and their stunning winery is a testament to how technology can be employed to elevate rather than dominate terroir.

The historical reputation of the Alt Penedès was built on sparkling wines, and the region today is largely commercially geared toward cranking out massive quantities of inexpensive Cava (whose bubbles and dosage mask a variety of sins), but recent years have seen a small number of growers experimenting with still-wine production, often to great effect. After all, the area’s high-altitude, well-ventilated limestone vineyards comprise a unique and assertive terroir, and the local grape varieties—particularly the acid-driven Xarel-lo—can voice these soils with great fluency when handled respectfully.

At the forefront of this growing movement are Ton Mata and his loyal crew, who produce a series of still wines under the “Celler Credo” label which gorgeously articulate heretofore unseen facets of the local varieties, and which offer riveting, unadorned glimpses into the great vineyards of the Alt Penedès. We have worked for a number of years with the bright, saline, terrific-value “Miranius,” but with this newest batch of arrivals we expand our work with Celler Credo’s lineup significantly.