Alta Alella Chenin Pét-nat 2021 Cuvée Solera

Experimental wines currently represent a tiny fraction of the market. Although produced in very limited quantities, they manage to reach consumers through direct cellar sales, partnerships with distributors, wine clubs and private allocations.

This pét-nat is made by Alta Alella, a leading producer of sparkling and natural wines in the Maresme region, north of Barcelona. Created in 2023 as part of an exclusive partnership with wine retailer and distributor Lavinia,  we had the chance to try it a few days ago at a restaurant in Madrid.

Why Chenin Blanc? This variety is known for its high acidity and ability to produce long-lived wines. Native to the Loire Valley, it is also widely planted in South Africa and is authorised in the DO Alella region. The Pujol-Busquets family, owners of Alta Alella, therefore planted a 0.10-hectare plot on their estate overlooking the Mediterranean to test its potential.

In 2023, when Lavinia was looking for an exclusive sparkling wine, they were offered samples of experimental pét-nats made with Chenin Blanc from the 2017, 2018 and 2021 vintages. After tasting, the team opted for the 2021 vintage , but to add greater complexity, a small amount of the 2017 vintage was blended in as a dosage. The result was a few hundred bottles of Chenin Ancestral 2021 Cuvée Solera.

Disgorged in 2023, this wine benefits from Alta Alella’s expertise in producing pét-nats, and from the added complexity provided by bottle ageing as well as the maturity brought by the addition of a touch of 2017 —an idea proposed by former Lavinia managing director Juan Manuel Bellver.

Its standout feature is the interplay between toasted, mature aromas on the nose and a razor-sharp freshness on the palate. This balance stems from the natural high acidity of Chenin Blanc and the austere, low-intervention approach that distinguishes Alta Alella's sparkling wines.

Josep María Pujol-Busquets had previous experience with Chenin Blanc in Saumur (Loire) from his time working for the Martini Group. His daughter Mireia spent six years in South Africa, and together they are now collaborating with the Myburgh family at Joostenberg Wine Estate in Paarl on a sparkling Chenin Blanc wine. “I like the freshness and lightness of Chenin Blanc, and how well it takes on the foam. In fact, it has long been used for sparkling wines,” explains Pujol-Busquets. “In South Africa, it is improving all the time. It works very well for us in Alella, although it does not align with the narrative of local varieties, and we do not plan to include it in our sparkling wines in the future. For us, it is like a Macabeo with plenty of acidity”.

12% abv.
€23 
Score: 92