Brut Real Gran Reserva 2015, Cava Mastinelli, Villafranca des Penedes

The Producer The property itself is located in Sant Marti Sa Roca, within sight of the town of Vilafranca des Penedès. Originally created as the Heretat Mas (meaning farm) Tinaja (amphora) in 1989, the name was abbreviated to Mastinell after the business was sold to the local Valderrama family in 1995. The cellar, which is constructed in the traditional Catalan masia style architecture sits within its own eight-hectare ‘garden’ of vines. This makes it a relatively small producer and so with around 50% self-sufficiency, the estate is less reliant on buying contracted fruit from individual growers. Regardless, the grapes that are sourced are certified organic and often pays more than double the average price per kilo to secure the best possible fruit. The cellar’s own vines have been certified organic since 2016. Producing both Cava and table wines, the cellar cultivates the native Penedès varieties of Macabeo, Xarel.lo, Parellada and Trepat for its Cavas. These are augmented with Garnacha, Monastrell, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Muscatel de Sitges and Sumoll for the table wines, with everything being hand harvested.