2018 Recaredo Subtil Corpinnat

95 POINTS

Mike Bennie - The Wine Front

“Xarel-lo is an amazing grape, though needs particular circumstances to grow, near the sea, not too high altitude, not in a place of too much wind. The grape works well with its skins, as a table wine of delicacy, with natural acidity, left as it is”, says Ton Mata, the third generation vigneron of Recaredo. “We are more a long ageing white wine producer, the bubbles helps us with extra acidity and lifting the wine. Natural fermentation allows this too, a natural part of the wine to create bubbles”, states Ton. This comes from a series of plots all located close to each other, on the same soil profile. Brut Nature too. Produced entirely from xarel-lo. MB: Savoury and sweet patisserie scents, preserved lime, stony mineral elements, faint toast and dried apple with whiffs of vanilla cream, sea spray and aniseed. Texture is amazing here, strong currency of the fine white wine underlying, savoury and minerally, with a lighter, lower atmosphere of bubbles that seems to only lend complexity rather than star. A touch of sugared bun finishes with briny minerality. Exceptional length and persistence, with a sense of delicacy, purity and verve. Drinks beautifully. 95 points KS: Love the individual expression of this one grape. It represents quite understated power here, apples and cold smoke, papaya, herbs—all on an iron bed, with that type of steely vibration that last for a while. Savoury and quite unique in its suit. Lovely. 94 points

95 POINTS

Decanter

Ton Mata, Recarado’s third generation custodian, was a driving force behind the creation of the Corpinnat designation. The house specialises in vintage brut nature, always long-aged under cork and always disgorged by hand with zero dosage. This wine is 100% Xarel·lo, hand harvested from certified biodynamic vines from the Serral del Roure estate. Christine Parkinson: Butter, salt, seaweed with bready, yeasty and praline notes. The ultra-long finish ends on peanut shells and ripe melon. This has weight, but lift and gracefulness make for easy drinkability. Quiet, but also emphatic. Will stand up to food. Sarah Jane Evans MW: Complex aromatics of baked fruits, marmalade, cumin. Full Bodied, an explosion of flavour. Honey, wild strawberry, baked apricot, patisserie, sweet spices. Valentin Radosav: Fresh yellow apple, melon, papaya. A fine, refreshing mousse. Ripe, clean, expressive fruit. Complex sage, rosemary, camomile and subtle brioche. Judges: Christine Parkinson, Sarah Jane Evans MW, Valentin Radosav