Biodynamic. Described by Tom Hewson as “one of the world’s most remarkable sparkling wines”, the Turó d’en Mota cuvée is sourced from a unique site within the Serral del Vell vineyard. It’s made from just under one hectare of goblet-trained Xarel·lo vines, planted in 1940 at almost 300 metres on the north side of the hill from which it takes its name. Cropped at 22 hl/ha, the wine ferments in barrel and rests on lees over winter with occasional stirring. It then ages in bottle for at least 12 years (150 months for this release) before the first disgorgement, as indicated on every bottle.

When the wine was first released in 2008—the 1999 vintage—Turó d’en Mota was the first pure Xarel·lo produced in the region. Today, it is widely considered one of the great, if not the greatest, sparkling wines from Spain. Luis Gutiérrez regularly rates the wine in the high nineties and little wonder. Although far from Champagne, it ages like the great grower wines to the north, developing boundless complexity while remaining alive, vibrant and super detailed. Sheer class. The 2009 and 2010 vintages we have tasted are simply extraordinary: racy, mineral and remarkably vivid and detailed.

Organic. Arguably the finest sparking wine that has been made from outside Champagne, the 2001 Turó d'en Mota is the second release from Recaredo’s long-aged Enoteca programme started in 1999. After almost 22 years under cork, just 150 bottles were manually disgorged in May 2024 with no dosage. Not only is it “really breathtaking”, to quote Luis Gutiérrez, in terms of purity, energy and complexity, but it also leaves most Grande Marque for dust. It's a Xarel·lo from another planet!

Turó d’en Mota cuvée takes its name from unique site within the Serral del Vell vineyard. It’s made from just under one hectare of goblet-trained Xarel·lo vines, planted in 1940 at almost 300 metres on the north side of the hill from which it takes its name. The soils, farmed biodynamically since 2010, contains calcareous lumps and quite a bit of limestone from the Serra del Mar and the Serra Catalana, which were deposited in the area due to erosion. From these lean, rocky soils and these mature vines, Recaredo is searching for the truest expression of the site’s most mineral soils (containing 33% active limestone).

Biodynamic. 57% Xarel·lo, 25% Macabeu, 17% Parellada, 1% Monastrell. Aged for 39 months on lees, Terrers is made from fruit grown in Recaredo’s own vineyards, all rooted in the calcareous soils of the Alt Penedès region. Each year, the blend can include fruit from as many as 65 small parcels drawn from Recaredo’s vines in Serral del Roure, Serral del Vell, Pedra Blanca, Marçaneta and the elevated Montpedrós vineyard at 455 metres. The base wines for Terrers are raised in tank, giving a super bright and fluid wine with textured stone fruit and bursts of citrus alongside an elegant palate marked by notes of herb and spice and creamy, textured lees-aging notes.

Biodynamic. Recaredo’s fascinating Rosat is made exclusively from Monastrell grown in the Serral de Vell (250 metres) and Marçaneta (200 metres) vineyards. Ton Mata prefers to stay away from the pale style of rosé as he doesn’t believe this on-trend style fits the character of the Alt Penedès. So, against the current fashion, it has an intense ruby colour drawn from six hours of skin contact. Despite the intensity of the colour, it has the subtlety and elegance of a fine Blanc de Blancs, coupled with vinous texture and piercing red-fruit flavours. Aged in bottle for 32 months, it finishes with biscuity complexity and pleasant twist of Mourvèdre savouriness that works beautifully at the table.

Biodynamic. 100% Xarel·lo, Subtil is sourced from the Serral del Roure estate, which ranges in altitude from 210 to 285 metres. The soils here are loamy and characterised by a relatively even balance of sand, silt and clay. There is little more clay in the soil than in Serral del Vell, resulting in a tendency to produce a rounder, more mouthfilling wine. A portion of the base wine is fermented in Stockinger barrel, which lends more savoury complexity to this bottling. It ages for 36 months in the bottle and is disgorged by hand. The 2018 is a brilliant, suave expression of Catalonia’s signature grape variety, with a core of pulpy, driving stone fruit and a long, chalky, bone-dry finish.

Biodynamic. 87% Xarel·lo, 13% Macabeu. This striking single-vineyard wine takes its name from the sloping Serral del Vell estate overlooked by the Montserrat mountains. The soil of the Serral del Vell plateau contains calcareous lumps and quite a bit of limestone from the Serra del Mar and the Serra Catalana, which were deposited in the area due to erosion. From these lean, rocky soils and these mature vines, Recaredo is searching for the truest expression of the site’s most mineral soils (containing 33% active limestone).

Only the Xarel·lo base wines are fermented in large-format oak. Recaredo prefers to use tanks for their Macabeu. Yields from Recaredo vineyards dipped to 26.5 hl/ha in 2017, and you can feel the fleshy intensity and low-yield energy coursing through the palate. With air, the 2017 develops some lovey nutty complexity, yet the style rests more on purity and salty-mineral impact than simple autolytic notes and dosage despite the lengthy 64 months on lees.

Biodynamic. 56% Macabeu, 44% Xarel·lo. Recaredo’s Reserva Particular was created in 1962 by Josep Mata Capellades, who wanted to unearth the delicacy and subtle complexity of long-aged sparkling wines in the Penedès setting. The Xarel·lo and Macabeu for this bottling are drawn from some of Recaredo’s oldest vines, planted between 1950 and 1955 in sloping clay soils that give this cuvée its breadth and more traditional old-school personality. Aged for 100 months before release, it’s a beautifully weighted and engagingly complex wine with more classical, old-school Penedès notes of menthol, toasted nuts and spice alongside a refined., delicate mousse flecked with Mediterranean herbs, anise and more spice. Serve this at the table, much as you would a fine, mature white wine (which it is!)