WINERY BACKGROUND

Alta Alella is a family project. Having worked widely in the wine world, from Alella and Penedés to Priorat, Rioja and the Ribera del Duero, even in France and Italy as technical director within the Martini group, the combined projects of the Alta Alella cellar and the Cristina Guillén wine shop in Badalona enabled us to create a family project based around the world of wine.

We grew up within a couple of kilometers of where we finally decided to establish our own cellar. Having traveled half-way around the wine world making wines, learning what each area, climate and methodology had to offer along the way, we finally found the ideal site for our project right on our own doorstep.

In 1991 we bought the Can Genis estate between Alella and Tiana, and set about replanting it and restoring the period house on the property. Together with the traditional Alella Pansa Blanca variety we planted a number of international varieties and rescued the forgotten Mataró, which had not been grown in the region since phylloxera hit the region in the late 19th century. By 2001 we were ready to produce our first wines from the initial 6 hectares. Since then we have acquired a further 6.5 hectares which are currently being replanted.

At Alta Alella we aim to make transparent wines in every sense of the word. Transparent wines, where the expression of terroir and climate shine clearly through in each wine, each vintage is. something we hope is matched by the clarity of the information on this website.

THE VINEYARDS

The vineyards at Can Genis are all planted on Sauló soil, one of the key distinguishing factors of Alella's wines. Sauló is an acidic, sandy soil with low limestone content, low organic matter and poor water retention. The estate is just 2 km from the Mediterranean, with the vineyards planted on slopes and terraces between 150 and 300m altitude.

Each variety has been planted according to the orientation of the plot: The south facing slopes are planted with varieties destined for reds and sweet wines requiring higher ripeness levels, whilst the north facing slopes give aromatic and floral wines, ideal for the whites and cavas. There are currently 6 hectares of vineyards in production at Can Genis, with a further 6.5 hectares being planted. The red varieties planted are Pinot Noir, Syrah, Mataró and Cabernet Sauvignon, whilst the whites are Pansa Blanca, Chardonnay, Viogner and Sauvignon Blanc.

THE CELLAR

The cellar is specifically designed for micro-vinifications. The small sizes of the tanks enable each parcel of land to be fermented separately, thus allowing us to wait until the moment of peak ripeness for each variety and plot. All wines are fermented under strict temperature control in stainless steel tanks or new French oak barrels.

Wherever possible, wine is moved by gravity rather than pumps. Even during macerations when the wine is regularly pumped over the floating skins, this is achieved by drawing wine off into a stainless steel basin, and with the help of a forklift truck, poured back over the floating skins. Moreover, the macerations are done using a technique known as "submerged skins" whereby the grape skins or chapeau, which usually float to the top of a fermenting vat, are artificially kept below the surface of the wine to favor extraction.

The length of maceration varies according to each wine and grape variety, but is usually between three and four weeks. Malolactic fermentation in the reds is done in oak barrels, a process which requires a little extra care, but offers significant advantages in fixing color and polyphenols in the wine. The whites and base wines for cavas do not undergo malolactic to maintain optimum freshness. For our cavas, the base wines are then bottled together with additional yeasts and sugar for the secondary fermentation in the bottle. They are laid in the cellar and age for between 18 and 36 months before being disgorged.