Brilliant value, unoaked white blend of Garnatxa Blanca and Macabeu from one of the region’s best co-ops. Herbal, tangy and lightly spicy, with notes of jasmine and orange peel and a fresh, medium weight finish. A regular holiday pick for me.
Retailer: El Celler Petit
2011 Arché Pagès Satirs Blanc, Empordà
( E6, 13%, El Celler Petit )Made by one of the best young growers in Empordà using only Macabeu, this is outstanding value at only E6 a bottle. It’s quite weighty for an unoaked style, capable of bottle age and great with food. Pear and some honey with refreshing lift from aciity a minerally undertone and a whiff of Mediterranean herbs.
2011 Gelamà Macabeu, Empordà
( E6, 13.5%, El Celler Petit )The 20% oak ageing is quite prominent on the nose and palate here, reminding me of a white Rioja (same grape, but more concentration in Empordà), but there’s enough texture and concentration for it to integrate over time. Another young producer who has rejuvenated old family vines to fashion something with real personality: minerality, wild herbs and some vanilla sweetness.
2011 Oliver Conti Treyu, Empordà
( E7, 12.5%, El Celler Petit )It’s easy to judge the white wines from Oliver Conti too young, even this unoaked cuvée of Macebeu and Gewürztraminer. This combines perfume, spice, fresh acidity and a touch of grapeskin bitterness on the palate, underpinned by some creamy, lees-derived fatness. It’s an unusual wine, with the Gewürz adding some ginger spice to the Macabeu. Try cellaring it.
2011 Clos d'Agon Amic, Empordà
( E14, 13%, El Celler Petit )Made by Peter Sisseck of Pingus in Ribera del Duero fame, this is a pure Garnatxa Blanca that justifies its growing reputation. This is a value for money partner to his more grown up Clos d’Agon Catalunya wines. Focused, intense, unoaked and very fresh, this chalky, almost Burgundian white is the perfect foil for the local Palamos seafood.
2010 Terra Remota Caminante, Empordà
( E15, 14%, El Celler Petit )One of the most exciting white wines in Empordà, made by French couple Marc and Emma Bournazeau from a blend of Garnatxa Blanca, Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay. Deftly oaked, beautifully defined, with the three grapes stylishly intertwined. Honeysuckle, some spice, a dash of thyme and pear and long, granite-derived minerality. Right up there with some of the best white wines in Spain. An estate to watch.