AT ROCA
Penedès DO - Clàssic Penedès
AT Roca is the work of Agusti Torello, formerly head of an eponymous family house under DO Cava, now working independently under the banner of Penedès DO’s sparkling appellation - Clàssic Penedès, which embraces slightly higher quality criteria. The bodega is in the pueblo of Sant Sebastià dels Gorgs, a few km south of Sant Sadurni d’Anoia, the northern heart of the region.
Agusti’s wines for AT Roca are based on old vineyards of local Penedès varieties, carefully selected from the sub-regions which suits each best: Macabeu from Massís del Garraf and Costers d’Ordal, Xarel·lo and Monastrell from Conca del Riu Anoia and Parellada from Serra del Montmell. All fruit is organic, hand-picked and comes from an array of 32 sustainable old vine parcels (70% own vineyards and others owned by three families with whom they work closely, working historical vineyards.)
‘AT’, pretty clearly is Agusti Torello’s initials. Roca is simply catalan for ‘Rock’, referencing the giant 40 million years-old ‘Montserrat’ mountain formation, a block of solid rock demarking the northern limit of Penedès.
AT ROCA Vi de Paisatge Brut Nature Reserva vintage grower fizz
Vi de Paisatge is Catalan for wine of the countryside, or wine of place … of Agusti’s range of wines, this is the one for Oz – killer value grower fizz.
Appellation: Clàssic Penedès: Traditional Method (methode champenoise)
Typology: Reserva – Brut with zero dosage
Aging: Minimum 24 months, usually closer to 36
Varieties: 55% Macabeu, 45% Xarel·lo
Alcohol: 12%, TA: 6 g/l, Residual sugar: zero g/l, VA 0.18 g/l
Viticulture: Organic certified, summing 14 plots of Macabeu and a further 6 plots of Xarel.lo.
When the vineyard is in a place where can show its full potential, then the fruit can show the place where it grows.
THEY SAY
We work exclusively with local varieties that allow us to produce wines of purity, reflecting place with a unique identity. Organic viticulture allows the plant to capture all the nuances of different soils. At AT Roca we work 32 vineyards that express the uniqueness of the area, based on three soil types:
- Macabeu is grown between 220 and 400 metres altitude on calcareous and limestone soils, in 14 plots located in Costers de l’Ordal and the Massif del Garraf; vineyards of calcareous, gravel and limestone soils.
- Xarel·lo, at 160-300 metres in 6 plots located in the subzone of Conca del Riu Anoia in vineyards planted on calcareous clays and pebbles.
- Parellada is grown at 580-700 metres in 4 sandstone plots in the Serra d’Ancosa.
WE SAY
Fresh, mineral, elegant and persistent with lovely white fruit-floral verticality and fine, gently lingering spuma. It’s savoury-waxy, earthen wine with a touch of spice and lovely soft acid definition at the back giving super-gentle closure. The earth character is definitively maritime (these are old uplifted marine fossil beds, after all!), golden and shaley with lots of chalky-talciness. This wine opens up beautifully, remains boldly savoury-earthen while filling the mouth with a soft, gentle spuma.
You’ll get:
- touches of citrus - yuzu and grapefruit zest give subtle astringency.
- ripe green fruit – cantaloupe, feijoa, pear and apple flesh.
- vegetal/herbaceous elements - fennel, celery seed, sorrel leaf, green tea leaves.
- golden florals, in a savoury register, think dead-head dandelion and marigold, waxflower.
- subtle lees pastry and baking spices.