The incredibly grand Castillo Perelada – with its dual fortification towers and impressive reflection cast over its nearby lake – makes for one of the most emblematic landmarks of the Empordà region. Castillo Perelada has produced wines here since the Middle Ages – with an entire library documenting the methods, sales, and history of the estate going back centuries! The modern age began with Miguel Mateu in 1923 and the region of Empordà has grown ever since. Here, set amongst Empordà’s sandy, silty alluvial valleys and slate-riddled slopes, grapes are thriving, and the wines are too.

Tack on their brand new, state-of-the-art production winery, housed in a LEED Gold-certified building on the estate, and these wines are better than ever. This is the first winery in Europe to achieve such a high certification, and since 2017, we’ve witnessed firsthand a marked increase in the quality of their entire portfolio. That said, it is this exuberant and flavorful rosé that has always held the apple of our eye, and this 2020 vintage makes things perfectly clear…we don’t expect any shift in the rankings anytime soon! 

Back in the 1960s, due primarily to the success of the winery’s “Champagne Rosado de Castillo Perelada” (the predecessor of this fantastic cuvee) in the United Kingdom, Champagne producers in France unified and successfully petitioned the courts to obtain exclusive naming rights to “Champagne” as a brand of place. This sent a shockwave around the wine world, and in many ways precipitated the creation of the Cava D.O. that we have today. Pretty cool, right?

Anywho, the new vintage – still made from a blend of 85% old-vine garnatxa (which we’d call grenache stateside) and a 15% soupçon of pinot noir – is as delightful as ever, and we’d say the best we’ve ever had. Sadly, we get less and less each year as the rest of the planet catches on – so trust me when I say that this is not one to be missed! Fully loaded with bright strawberry and cherry perfume, creamy, toasty rose, saliva-inducing watermelon, and some sexy, ethereal floral notes…just perfectly, impossibly balanced with a lip-popping freshness and surprising length. For the price, it’s truly astounding.
This is a two-in-the-fridge-at-all-times sparkler and you simply cannot beat this. 6 grams per liter dosage and a quick 9 months on the lees keep everything bright, fresh, and vibrant – all that remains is for you to drink up!