After the purchase by Raventós Codorníu of Gleva Cellars group, which included Parxet in Alella, the new ownership has relaunched the range of still wines that had been traditionally sold under the Marqués de Alella brand.
Everything is new in this stage, starting with the name Can Matons, a tribute to the 18th century Catalan farmhouse nestled among vineyards, to the Burgundian approach of the range which includes a regional wine, two village wines and two single-vineyard wines.
The project seeks to highlight the distinctive features of this tiny wine-growing region. Located a few kilometres north of Barcelona, Alella has defied urban growth and maintains around 200 hectares under vine. The majority of soils are pure granite and decomposed sand with varying percentages of clay and slate in some areas. Pansa Blanca, a regional variation of Xarel.lo, is the dominant variety, but the markedly different characteristics of some old vines have encouraged Codorníu to study their DNA in order to determine whether all the grapes grown are indeed Xarel.lo or another variety.
Can Matons controls 90 out of the total 200 hectares in DO Alella. The vineyards do not face the sea; they are in the inland valleys of the Vallès Oriental region at higher elevations and exposed to wider temperature fluctuations. The best plots are usually found in the valley floors, where the soil is deeper and may contain layers of clay underneath that retain water; vines grown on hillsides have very little vigour.
The new wines, all of which are Pansa Blanca whites, stand out for their salinity due to the soils and the vicinity of the sea. This is enhanced with very slow fermentations that allow the lees to do their work in order to gain volume and freshness but avoiding post-fermentation bâtonnage and hence an excessively opulent palate. Alcohol levels do not exceed 13% vol.
The range starts with Can Matons, a light yet sapid entry-level white that captures the character of the region (€12, 3,000 bottles on the first 2020 vintage, 30.000 in 2021) and is fermented and briefly aged in stainless steel tanks. Village wines (this is not an established category in the DO) are made in concrete and oak and retail at around €18 in Spain. Sourced from clay-sandy soils, Sant Fost de Campsentelles (3,000 bottles) is rounder on the palate. Santa María de Martorelles (1,500 bottles) comes from pure sandy soils so it feels more vertical and has plenty of salinity. Production is limited in the case of single-vineyard wines (€40): 1,200 bottles in the case of La Vinya de Can Xec, whose exotic nose stands in contrast with its austere finish; and only 400 bottles for La Vinya del Music. In this case grapes are sourced from the oldest plot featuring a Pansa Blanca clone with bigger berries and thicker skin. Perhaps, this is the wine that feels more crisp, saline and fresh. It will be interesting to see how these wines develop over time.
Xevi Carbonell looks after winemaking. Can Matons is part of Vins de Llegat (Legacy Wines), the new umbrella of boutique wineries created by Codorníu and headed by Ricard Rofés, director and winemaker at Celler Scala Dei.
The wines can be bought at Codorníu's online store.
