Cutting-Edge Spanish wines: Parés Baltà Hisenda Miret 2017, DO Penedès

This is the final wine in my series on the Vinos de Vanguardia (Wines on the Cutting Edge) of the Spanish wine industry. These eight wines were so designated by Wines from Spain and were discussed and evaluated by a four-person expert panel at that organizations Spain's Great Match Miami event (November 5, 2019).

I have covered seven of the wines in previous posts (Tajinaste Blanco 2018, Quinta da Muradella Blanco 2015, Edetària Selecció Blanc Vinyes Velles 2016, Conde de los Andes Rioja Blanco 2016, Guimaro Finca Meixemann 2017, AN/2 by Anima Negra 2017, Bodegas Mustiguillo Finca Terrerazo 2015) and will cover the final wine (Parés Baltà Hisenda Miret 2017) herein.

Penedès DO
Parés Baltà is located in the Penedès DO, a wine region that straddles both the Barcelona and Tarragona provinces.

Map of Penedes DO (Source: Penedes DO)

The region is wide and open, covering, as it does, a long strip of land between the sea and the mountains. It is divided into three distinct zones (see map above):

• Penedès Superior -- the land near the inland mountain range; higher rainfall and larger contrasts between minimum and maximum temperatures; the soil is a mix of limestone, sand, and clay.
• Penedès Marítime -- the land between the sea and the coastal hills. The climate here is a mild Mediterranean (due to its proximity to the sea) and the soil is a mix of limestone, sand, and clay.
• Penedès Central -- the plain between Superior and Marítime. The climate is a mix of the two and the soil has the same composition.

The Tramonta wind blows in from France in the winter but is diminished by the Montserrat Range.

White grape varieties are dominant with 4/5ths of the 15,200 ha devoted to their plantings. The white grapes are Xarel.lo (the most widely planted with 7000 ha under vine), Macabeu, Parellada, Chardonnay, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc. Red varieties include Garnatxa, Monastrel, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Samó, and Ull de Llebre.

Penedès is known for its still wine and its Cavas. In the case of the still wines, most are drunk in the year after bottling. The Cava producers have upped their game by introducing a category (2014) called Classic Penedès which covers traditional and ancestral Cava production with a requirement of 100% organic, 100% Penedès, and 100% Reserva (minimum 15 months aging).

Parés Baltà
Vines were first planted in the area that surrounds the winery back in 1790. Current family ownership stretches back to 1978 when Mr Joan Cuisine took control of the winery.

The enterprise controls five vineyards but the one of interest to us is Finca Cal Miret in the town of Sant Martí Sarroca. The vines are resident on deep, brown agrillaceous limestone soils at elevations ranging between 298 and 325 m and inclines of between 5 and 15%. Varieties planted include Garnatxa, Xarel.lo, Macabeu, Syrah, Merlot, and Muscat.

All of the Parés Baltà vineyards are Demeter-certified biodynamic. Initial studies began in 2010, with the first biodynamic treatments produced, and applied, in 2011. Vineyards are cultivated without the use of herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers. Sheep provide fertilization material to the vineyards in the period following the harvest. The estate practices green pruning -- to increase air circulation and sun exposure -- and green harvesting -- to increase concentration and character in the remaining grapes.

Hisenda Miret
Hisenda Miret is a 100% Garnatxa wine which is fermented in stainless steel for 3 weeks with thrice-daily punchdowns. The wine is aged for 5 months in new and 2-year-old French oak barrels.

The 2017 edition of this wine showed intense red fruit and a florality out of the glass. It jumps out at you. Complex. The intensity carries through to the palate. The tannin makes its presence felt, as does the acidity. Lengthy finish. I loved this wine.

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