Tasting

What does a Corpinnat taste like? Mostly like a dry, taut sparkling wine with citrus and yellow fruit, plus brioche, almond and hazelnut from extended lees aging. Xarel·lo lends a saline, almost herbal note that gives the wine a firm, long finish. Over the years, riper notes emerge—dried apricot, honey and a hint of caramel—without the freshness disappearing.

Three examples show the range. Recaredo's Turó d'en Mota comes from a Xarel·lo parcel planted in 1940 and, according to the house, spent more than 100 months on the lees. Gramona's III Lustros is a Brut Nature, and Sabaté i Coca bottles a Reserva Familiar. Each of these wines shows how differently time and site can express themselves. What they share is a dry structure, salinity and extended lees aging.

Served too cold, much of this is lost. At eight to ten degrees Celsius, the brioche and fruit come through; at four degrees, a large part of the aromas disappears. Anyone preparing a bottle for the table should therefore place it in the refrigerator for a few hours rather than the freezer.

The glass can be a tulip shape or a white wine glass with a bit of bowl to it. A flat coupe lets the bubbles and aromas escape too quickly, while a tulip glass lets them gather above the wine. A wine with this much age also benefits from a little air to open up in the glass.

Opening calls for a calm hand. Loosen the cage, tilt the bottle, hold the cork steady and slowly turn the bottle—not the cork. A quiet hiss instead of a loud pop preserves the pressure, aroma and mousse. A wine with such long lees aging deserves a composed entrance.