The tour reached its final day all to quickly as we set off from the pretty town of Altafulla and our beachside hotel, heading for Penedès and the unique estate of Can Rafols dels Caus. Set in thousands of acres of the Garraf in Penedès, the old house is filled with quirky art work and the gardens entertain large sculptures, fountains and features that constantly attract your eye.
Alec – who I met last year – hosted our our visit with his characteristic aplomb and gave a short history of the estate. Carlos Esteva took over his grandfather’s farm in 1979 and developed the vineyards to show the quintessential character of Penedes wines – particularly employing Xarel-lo and Sumoll grapes. He also planted Bordeaux varieties with a plan to create wines that would age for long periods. Carlos died three years ago but his sons continue the story.
We kicked off with a fresh sparkling Brut Nature wine with the interesting name of Climax, before moving onto a delicious white, then rosado and red before being surprised by one of their legendary wines – Caus Lubis 2006. Made from 100% Merlot, this wine has only recently been made available on the market. Perfectly mature but with lots of vitality, the wine developed in the glass as it warmed up. An exceptional wine to round off our final visit.
The day was not yet over. Our final destination was Casa Nova restaurant close to our first visit of the tour at Cava Rovellats.
Casa Nova is a green Michelin star – it has a wonderful herb and vegetable garden, chickens, goats, horses (these animals were not on the menu), a coffee roasting area, a kiln to make their own crockery and many other nuances we did not see. Chef Andres Torres is involved with a number of overseas projects and brings back ideas from all over the world to infuse into his cooking. It was a quirky, fascinating array of dishes – none of which I could even contemplate making at home – all paired with a terrific selection of Penedès wines.
A top class dining experience and end to our tour.
