Lees Aging & Dosage

Eighteen months is the minimum for Corpinnat, and many houses let their wine rest considerably longer. That's double the EU minimum of nine months. In the DO Cava, only the Reserva category reaches this length. Clàssic Penedès requires at least 15 months before the lees are removed from the bottle.

During this time, the bottle rests on its lees. Dead yeast cells slowly break down—a process known as autolysis—releasing compounds that give the wine notes of brioche, nuts and pastry. The longer this takes, the finer the mousse and the creamier the texture on the palate. This aging requires both space and money, since every bottle ties up capital before it can be sold.

After that, the lees must be removed. The bottles are riddled until the sediment collects in the neck, then disgorged: the neck is opened and the pressure ejects the sediment. Recaredo says it disgorges by hand, a labor-intensive step that other producers handle mechanically.

Finally comes the dosage, a small addition of wine with or without sugar. Brut nature means under 3 grams of sugar per liter and no added sugar at all; extra brut falls between 0 and 6; brut stays under 12 grams. In the Penedès, the driest level is common: Recaredo says it bottles exclusively Brut Nature, and Gramona's III Lustros is also a Brut Nature.

A wine with high acidity, as Xarel·lo provides, handles low sugar levels well, and long lees aging already brings plenty of richness on its own. Sabaté i Coca and other members choose their own dosage level depending on the blend. The result stays dry, saline and long on the palate, without sweetness to round it off. Those trying it for the first time might find it austere at first, only discovering the depth beneath on the second glass.