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2007 harvest notes

Following a very dry winter, with low reserves of ground water, spring arrived with some rainfall when the vine shoots were beginning to appear. Thanks to the estate’s sandy loam and clay soil, together with the mild summer temperatures, the plants grew well and the grapes ripened in a progressive, very balanced fashion.

The harvest of Chardonnay grapes (used in making Cava Milesimé) began on August 6th this year, and the Pinot Noir harvest (used for Cava Brut Rosé) began on August 14th. These early varieties, used in the production of cava, were excellent in terms of their physical and chemical parameters, with high acidity and an excellent alcohol content.

The late August rains gave a boost of quality to the later varieties (Macabeo, Xarel•lo, Parellada) which had been starting to show signs of water stress that could have had a negative effect on the end of the ripening process. The harvest for these varieties began on August 27th and went on until the end of September.

The cooler average temperatures of August and September, coupled with the almost 100 litres/m2 of rainfall, delayed the ripening of these varieties which are used mainly to make cava. This resulted in a slower maturation process, with optimum grape quality. The resulting wines offer extraordinary taste and aroma qualities, with excellent prospects for development, making them the ideal basis for long aging cavas.

As regards varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, used for making red wines, these too benefited from the weather conditions this summer, particularly in the area where they were planted, i.e., the Mediona hills, 700 m above sea level. The Cabernet Sauvignon harvest ended on October 22nd with excellent levels of ripeness, not only of the flesh of the grape, but also of the skin and seeds. As a result, after long maceration periods both before and after alcohol fermentation, all the potential will be there for the wines of this harvest to be of exceptional quality.

Josep Jiménez, Viticulture Dept.

Antoni Cantos, Oenology Dept.