L’Enclòs de Peralba, an exciting vineyard-focused project from Penedès
L’Enclòs de Peralba is the project of cousins Leo and Roc Gramona, who come from the Gramona family well known for their sparkling wines (they were part of DO Cava, but are now DO Corpinnat). Both have recently joined the family winery but on the condition that they are allowed to make their own wines: hence L’Enclòs de Peralba. The wines were originally made at Gramona (2017 and 2018), but now they are produced in their own winery. The model is to make still wines (and a Pet Nat) from indigenous varieties from Penedès, focusing on privileged sites in the region.
Enclos translates as ‘clos’ in Catalan; Peralba refers to the white rocks common in elevated sites in the region.
Leo introduced the wines. His father and Roc’s father, who run the company, agreed to let them begin their own project, which they felt they needed to do to express their creative energy. ‘We had our own ideas at Gramona, but with a company like this with a lot of history and trajectory, it is not easy to change,’ says Leo. ‘It is a big ship to turn around.’ So they talked to their parents and they allowed them to begin their own project. ‘We started scouting for some of the vineyards we thought had potential for still wine. We worked with viticulturists who already had a relationship with Gramona. Our project is about trying to make wine the way it would have been before Cava.’
Cava as it is today is largely a result of the phylloxera crisis at the end of the 19th century. Champagne was hit relatively early and there was a need for sparkling wine, so French technicians came to Penedes where phylloxera had yet to appear. Lots of merchant houses from around Europe came and installed themselves in the region. ‘After this a lot of international grapes were planted in the region because they made commercial sense,’ says Leo. ‘Now, with our project, we are trying to recover the winemaking before that happened.’
‘It is a parcel project,’ he says, ‘so we are focused on parcel wines. Production is around 2000 bottles per label. We are trying to express the micro-terroir.’ He adds, ‘We have scouted for different vineyards that made sense. We have Xarel.lo, two Garnachas and Malvasia de Sitjes (we think this has a lot of potential and will be the Riesling of the region). We are getting away from the plain in the middle of Penedes with its big yields and going towards the mountains, with more altitude and longer cycles.’
They began in 2017 after some experiments. ‘We have a tier system. The base is the blend wine. The main focus for us is the parcel wines: we make 8 parcel wines. Then some of the wines of each parcel we blend to make a base wine (Vi Fi de Masia). This represents the style of our region. Each parcel wine represents each parcel. We are creating a classification of parcels depending on whether the parcel is consistent enough over time. If it is, we are going to qualify that parcel as a top parcel.’
‘We don’t want to be pretentious and call it a Grand Cru because it is our classification,’ he adds. The wines released so far are very exciting.
THE WINES
L’Enclos de Peralba Vi Fi de Masia 2019 Catalunya, Spain
12.5% alcohol. This is a blend of Grenache Blanc and a special clone of Malvasia (Malvasia de Sitges) that spends 8 months in concrete eggs. This is bright and mineral with nice citrus fruit core and some lively spicy framing. Lots of interest here in this crisp, characterful wine with a sense of precision. 93/100
L’Enclos de Peralba Vi Fi de Masia 2020 Catalunya, Spain
Very fresh and grainy with a fine, subtle saline edge and attractive mineral underpinnings to the bright citrus fruit. Lovely precision here: expressive and mineral. 93/100
L’Enclos de Peralba Les Camades Garnatxa Blanca Can Ferrer de la Cogullarda 2018 Catalunya, Spain
12.5% alcohol. Clay and iron soils. Wonderful aromatics: spicy, mineral, with a powerful citrus line as well as some floral notes. The palate has lemons, orange peel and minerals with good acidity and a long finish. Lovely intensity here. 94/100
L’Enclos de Peralba Tres Feixes Garntaxa Blanca El Pla de Manlleu 2019 Penedès, Spain
12% alcohol. Complex spicy citrus nose with some subtle honey and nut characters. The palate is bright and focused with a lovely texture to the mineral-strewn citrus fruit, showing hints of richness against a backdrop of bright fruit. 93/100
L’Enclos de Peralba Tres Feixes Garntaxa Blanca El Pla de Manlleu 2020 Penedès, Spain
9 months in two 600 litre cement eggs and one 500 litre barrel. Clay/limestone soils at 550 m, and 80 year old vines. Honey, nuts and minerals on the nose. This has some depth with appealing pear and citrus fruit. Very expressive with a touch of aniseed and apple, too. 94/100
L’Enclos de Peralba Els Presseguers Xarel.lo Gelida 2018 Catalunya, Spain
12.5% alcohol. Lovely complex citrus fruit nose. Textured and detailed on the palate with some crystalline character, and lovely citrus and pear fruit. Such complexity here: a really beautiful expression of this interesting variety. 95/100
L’Enclos de Peralba El Tòfol Macabeu St Sadurní d’Anoia 2019 Catalunya, Spain
12.5% alcohol. Limey and intense with high acidity and a mineral core. This has lovely pithy intensity with some structure to the pronounced citrus fruit. So lively and energetic. 94/100
L’Enclos de Peralba Vi Fi de Masia Tinto 2019 Spain
Two parcels at 500 m, a blend of Garnatxa and Syrah, 12 months in 500 litre French oak. Fresh, taut and slightly reductive. Supple with red cherries, spice and a liquorice. Has a taut finish, and is slightly tart, finishing with a mineral flourish. 92/100
L’Enclos de Peralba Els Escorpins Garnatxa 2019 Spain
From clay/limestone soils at 250 m, aged in 300 litre neutral barrel. Complex taut cherry and raspberry fruit here: this is juicy and bright on the palate with vivid redcurrant and red cherry fruit, showing lovely purity and focus. Tight and lean: give this time. 94/100
UK agent: Indigo Wine
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