94+/100 - The 2011 Celler Batlle Brut was produced with a blend of 75% Xarel.lo and 25% Macabeo from the Font Jui property of 22.5 hectares. The wine was adjusted (blind by tasting) with 7.2 grams of sugar from the residual sugar and the dosage from an old solera of wines that have some sugar and are part of the Gramona. This matured in bottle with lees, closed with a cork for 122 months. It's more in the style of the 1990s than the wines from the last 20 years, with a little more sugar. 7,100 bottles produced. I had the chance to taste a bottle of 2007 disgorged in 2018, and the wine, which was a lot drier than this 2011, is evolving superbly. Gramona has celebrated its 100 anniversary of the Gramona label, but they started earlier (in 1881) with other brands. Today, they have 65 hectares of organic and biodynamic vineyards certified by Demeter (from 2011, so not all wines are still certified, but they will be) and 130 more hectares from the association Alianzas por la Tierra. They produce 650,000 bottles of Corpinnat sparkling wines (Cava in the past). There is a new sparkling wine from Gramona, Innoble, a non-vintage blend. They are one of the leading quality producers of sparkling wine from Spain.

94/100 - Disgorged in May 2021, this 60:40 blend of Xarel.lo and Macabeo is a gem sourced from the same ancient vine stock as III Lustros – the plots of La Plana and Mas Escorpí farmed by the original Batlle family in 1850. The division of spoils focuses on longer ageing for Celler Batlle, but also an addition of dosage, 5.5 g/l in this instance, from the Gramona Solera. A mere decade old, this latest release is still juvenile, uptight rather than sulky. The nose is dominated by stone fruit, almonds, yeast and flint. The spring flowers are yet to break through the cracks in the schist… Behind that will come praline and brioche, hazelnut and patisserie – with a little patience and a little swirl, they are already on their way.