The 2007 Imperial Gran Reserva Brut is a blend of 50% Xarello, 40% Macabeu and 10% Chardonnay from 25 to 30-year-old vines with four to five years aging on the lees. It has a lifted bouquet of dried honey, with notes of spice and wet wool emerging from its secondary aromas. The palate has a crisp entry with a touch of shellfish and lemon peel, striking acidity that lends tension and vivacity with a hint of brioche towards the finish. Impressive! Drink now-2017+ The town of Sant Sadurni D-Anoia is built upon Cava, and in one of its streets in an undistinguished building lies one of its greatest exponents - Gramona. I had time to taste through their current portfolio, as well as take a brief tour of their ancient cellars housing countless bottles, each annex named after a different member of the dynasty. My guide was the garrulous Xavier Gramona, a veritable fountain of information and viewpoints, in particular with respect to agrology (where Claude Bourguignon acts as an advisor) and the -essence of long aging- for Cava in terms of soil, autolysis and that crucial ingredient, time. His research into autolysis deserves an article all of its own, but essentially he believes that lees-aging is mandatory to create complex aromas and flavours and to protect the wine from oxidation during aging - five years minimum, and preferably ten years to create a truly great Cava. Even then, he advises that Gran Reservas should be given two or three years bottle age after disgorgement. At Gramona, detail is everything, pruning according to lunar phases, manual picking, riddling by hand, aging bottles under cork rather than crown cap and using 100-year Solera wines aged in chestnut and oak barrels for dosage. So let us examine what is unquestionably the most impressive portfolio of Cavas money can buy. Importer: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565