Catalonia
Catalonia, located in north-eastern Spain, is a vibrant and diverse wine region celebrated for its exceptional fine wines. With a rich winemaking heritage that dates back centuries, Catalonia offers a captivating array of wines that highlight the region's unique terroir and winemaking traditions.
One of the most famous vineyards in Catalonia is Bodegas Torres, a renowned winery with a long-standing tradition of producing exceptional wines. Their wines, including Mas La Plana and Gran Coronas, showcase the region's commitment to quality and innovation. Catalonia is known for its red wines, with the Priorat and Penedès regions standing out as premier wine-producing areas. Vineyards such as Clos Mogador, Alvaro Palacios, and Mas Doix produce exceptional red wines that embody the power, complexity, and elegance for which Priorat is renowned. Penedès, on the other hand, is celebrated for its Cava sparkling wines, with renowned producers like Freixenet and Codorníu leading the way.
The region is also known for its white wines, with the Penedès and Empordà regions producing notable examples. Vineyards such as Parés Baltà, Gramona, and Can Ràfols dels Caus craft exceptional white wines that exhibit freshness, complexity, and a distinctive expression of their terroir.
Catalonia's fine wines beautifully reflect the region's diverse landscapes, from the coastal areas of Alella and Empordà to the inland regions of Priorat and Penedès. The wines of Catalonia showcase a harmonious balance between tradition and innovation, with winemakers embracing both indigenous and international grape varieties.
Catalonia
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Catalunya | 1 | 98 (WA) | د.إ2,875.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (98)The flagship 2018 Clos Mogador is a blend of 45% Garnacha, 29% Cariñena, 16% Syrah and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon that fermented with natural yeasts and showcases their philosophy—slow fermentations with long maceration and long aging. It matured for 18 months in 2,000-liter oak vats and 30% in 300-liter oak barrels. There was a lot of rain in 2018, and the vineyards were extremely happy and everything seemed very easy; in fact, René Barbier told me it was perhaps too easy... It's an atypical year: It has a gentle profile, and the wines are not as concentrated as those from 2013 (the last rainy year before 2018)—they are more elegant and nuanced. This should develop beautifully in bottle. 27,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2020. |
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Catalunya | 2 | 95+ (WA) | د.إ1,435.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (95+)Similar to the Dits del Terra but from a north-facing slope, the 2013 Arbossar is pure Cariñena from an ancient vineyard planted around 90 years ago, and it is always a fresher and more floral style of Cariñena, matured in a Stockinger foudre for some 16 months. I already tasted an unbottled sample last year and it showed great, lively, very red fruit-driven, electric and full of flowers and minerals, and the bottled version has delivered as expected. It's a bright ruby colored red, which is always fragrant and perfumed, more feminine than the Dits del Terra, which is the comparison because both vineyards are in Torroja and the wines share the same price range. The nose reveals bright red fruit, and feels fresher than the 2014. The tannins are ultra-sleek, really elegant and balanced. This is a superb, elegant and fresh Cariñena, without any rusticity. Super! 4,669 bottles were filled in August 2015. |
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Catalunya | 1 | 95 (WA) | د.إ1,695.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (95)The south-facing Cariñena vineyard used for the 2018 Dits del Terra is worked biodynamically and is in the process of being certified organic. The grapes fermented in concrete with indigenous yeasts, and the wine matured in 50% oak foudre and 50% in concrete. The 2019 will be 100% concrete. You can immediately notice the cooler year and the longer ripening cycle here compared with the 2017; there is more depth here, and the quality of the tannins is completely different and provide for a more elegant mouthfeel. The oak is neatly integrated and folded into the structure of the wine. It comes through as medium-bodied, powerful and elegant. It should develop nicely in bottle. 2,006 bottles were filled in September 2020. |
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Catalunya | 1 | 96 (WA) | د.إ3,250.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (96)The top Cariñena is the 2013 Les Tosses, which for Dominik Huber is the pure expression of graphite and cherries, from an ancient plot on black slate soils fermented with full clusters and a short maceration and matured in oak foudres for two years. There was a volatile whiff and that sensation of warm slate that really transported me to the character of the roads in Priorat. There's also something that made me think of iron and raw meat. It's all relative of course, because compared to most other Priorats, this would feel extremely elegant and floral. The palate has even more of that tactile sensation of the graphite, with abundant, albeit extremely fine tannins and showing great balance. Some 1,000 bottles were filled in August 2015. |
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Catalunya | 1 | 95 (JS) | د.إ932.00 | |||||
James Suckling (95)Wow. A glorious chardonnay that I have been admiring for decades. It’s full-bodied with layers of ripe apple, hints of white peach and nougat and vanilla undertones. Creamy. It’s full-bodied and gorgeous all the way through. Drink or hold. |
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Catalunya | 1 | 98 (DC) | د.إ6,625.00 | |||||
Decanter (98)Ripe dark fruits, notes of cherry, dried fig and boysenberry along with sage, black liquorice, potpourri, light rose petal and violet floral notes. Very fine tannins on the palate with a powdery aspect to the wine overall, lengthy acidity leading to a crisp finish. Very open note, but still developing. Certified as 'velles vinyes'. |
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