Recaredo L'Infinit 2023

L'Infinit comes from a mosaic of vineyards in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, at the heart of the Penedès, between the peaks of Montserrat and the Mediterranean. The estate, a member of Corpinnat, farms its vines organically and biodynamically, on clay-limestone and silty soils between 180 and 455 metres above sea level. The traditional Catalan grape varieties, dry-farmed, ripen slowly here, which preserves their freshness.

The grapes are harvested by hand and then vinified without unnecessary additions, in the Brut Nature style that is the house signature. After the second fermentation in bottle, the wine rests for 18 months stacked horizontally in the estate's underground cellars. Disgorgement is done by hand, à la volée, without any dosage, to let the purity of the grape and the precision of the terroir speak.

This wine reveals notes of delicate smoke, brioche, pastry dough, redcurrant, tangy raspberry, lemon zest, fresh herbs, chalk. The nose combines a fine pastry touch with bright red fruit and herbal freshness. On the palate, the very fine bubbles merge into a sleek, creamy texture, carried by lively acidity, before a long, straight and saline finish.

The history of wine in Spain is so ancient that no one really knows who first brought the vines to the region. By the time the Phoenicians arrived some 3,000 years ago and founded the present-day cities of Cádiz and Jerez, viticulture was already well established, and Spanish wines were widely traded throughout the Mediterranean and North Africa. You could say that Spain is a winemaking miracle. After years on the sidelines of the world of fine wines, it is now a major player. Investment and ambition in vineyards and wineries are resulting in increasingly rich, complex (often high in alcohol), and spicy reds that are gaining popularity with international consumers. Proud to have more land dedicated to vines than any other country, Spain is only now beginning to capitalize on this resource in a consistent way. Spain is a chaotic jumble of regions and subregions, much like its landscape is a chaotic jumble of incredibly rugged scenery. A glance at a map reveals the climatic diversity among Spain's many wine regions, from the lush, green vineyards of Galicia on the northern Atlantic coast to the parched vineyards of the southeastern Mediterranean. Spain's saving grace for viticulture is the average altitude of its vineyards, which is over 600 meters. Many Spanish vineyards are thus able to produce grapes with good color and acidity simply because nighttime temperatures are relatively low and the grapes don't ripen until after a sufficiently long growing season. But there is a real treasure trove to be found for those willing to dig, and now that a class of connoisseurs has developed in Spain, all sorts of ambitious investors have done their part to change the image of Spanish wine. Today, a new generation of winemakers has quietly begun to craft spectacular wines and experiment with grape varieties that would have been unthinkable not so long ago. Wine remains an important commodity and an integral part of Spanish culture.