2014 was the first year when the still wines from Gramona were certified by Demeter and when they started using their Coquard press. It was not an easy year, one with plenty of rains and maladies, which resulted in a crop that was 15% smaller than the average at Gramona. Their classical 2014 Brut Imperial is a blend of 40% each Xarello and Macabeo with 15% Chardonnay and 5% Parellada that aged sur lie for 51 months in bottle and was adjusted with six grams of sugar to make it a balanced and approachable sparkling. This is one of the flagship wines from Gramona, with a style that is marked by the old wine added in the expedition liqueur, which gives a specific profile that's nutty and has aromas that always make me think of an older wine. They have been moderating the use of this wine, and the touch is subtler, as what they have been using is an infusion of almond peel in this old wine. They never used this expedition wine for III Lustros or Celler Batlle, because they thought the long aging provided enough complexity. However, Imperial has been getting fresher and fresher every year. This is still aged in bottle with a crown stopper, but the magnums keep under cork and all the following wines are aged under cork. There is great freshness, which makes the wine vibrant and tasty, and it has a balanced finish and integrated, small bubbles that provide a creamy texture. And the sugar is almost imperceptible, just adding balance for the acidity. The percentage of Chardonnay will be lower in following years to comply with the Corpinnat requirements. 2014 has to be one of the finest vintages for Imperial. All of the bottles display the disgorgement date and the number of months the wine matured with the lees in bottle. Some 350,000 bottles produced.

The 2012 Gran Reserva Brut Imperial is a very versatile Cava from a healthy vintage. It's a blend of 50% Xarello, 40% Macabeo and 10% Chardonnay with a dosage of seven grams of sugar and disgorged after 60 months in contact with the lees in bottle. I found this vintage very balanced and harmonious, clean and focused, with great intensity and an equally balanced palate with fine bubbles and a creamy texture. This is a very regular Cava, the one that best represents Gramona as such, with some crunchiness and a great balance between fruit and complexity. 433,000 bottles produced.

The 2011 Gran Reserva Brut Imperial feels young with plenty of notes of apples and faint hints of yeasts. The palate is harmonious, with integrated bubbles and good balance between dosage and acidity. 300,000 bottles.

The 2010 Gran Reserva Brut Imperial, a blend of 50% Xarello, 40% Macabeo and 10% Chardonnay, aged for 48 month in bottle in contact with the lees. It has the telltale aromas of the Mediterranean grapes and the balsamic profile of the Penedès warm climate, quite harmonious in a vintage like 2010. It has good balance between freshness and oxidative notes, young and old, and seems to keep the best of both worlds. It is lively with bright acidity and fine bubbles, spicy and with flavors of aniseed and freshly baked brioches. A champion in quality-to-price in Cava. 300,000 bottles produced.

I tasted from a magnum of the 2009 Imperial Gran Reserva Brut, which is a blend of 50% Xarello, 40% Macabeo and 10% Chardonnay aged in bottle for 48 months. It has a very good balance between fruit and yeast aromas and flavors, with a very lively palate because of its great acidity. Both aromas and flavors are pure and well-delineated, with notes of apple, fennel, lime leaves and bakery. A very good Cava. Drink now-2017. Gramona is a classical Cava house that keeps the old traditions, like bottle aging with the lees under cork, manual processes, an extended contact with the lees in bottle for better integration of the bubbles and extra autolysis aromas plus the use of old solera wines for their liqueur d'expedition in the older wines with extended yeast contact. Importer: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565