Alta Alella

Alta Alella sits in the Serralada de Marina Natural Park, just a stone's throw from the Mediterranean Sea and barely 20 minutes from Barcelona. This is one of Spain's smallest wine regions, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in character. The story starts in 1991 when Josep Maria Pujol-Busquets and his wife Cristina Guillén bought the 19th-century Can Genís estate. They planted their first vines that same year and released their debut vintage in 2001. The vineyards climb terraced slopes between 100 and 250 meters above sea level, overlooking the sea in an amphitheatre shape. The soil here is called sauló, a sandy granite-based soil that's unique to this corner of Catalonia. It's acidic, low in organic matter, and drains beautifully. This gives the wines their signature minerality and bright acidity.

The family and their philosophy

Josep Maria is an enologist who's always been curious about what wine can become. His daughters Mireia and Georgina grew up among the vines and now work alongside their parents. The family's approach is simple: they want to make transparent wines that show you exactly where they come from. No standardization, no shortcuts. They've been certified organic from day one, which was pretty bold back in the early 1990s. In 2017 they made a big decision, selling their Privat brand to Perelada and using the money to buy more vineyards. Now they farm around 68 hectares and rely entirely on their own grapes. They work with small plots, respect the natural landscape, and let the forest grow between vineyard parcels. This keeps the ecosystem balanced and the wines honest. In 2006 they created Bruant, the first sulfite-free cava in the DO Cava. Their natural wine project lives in a separate facility called Celler de les Aus, where every wine is named after a local bird species.

The wines and cavas

Alta Alella produces around 300,000 bottles a year across a wide range. Their heart and soul is Pansa Blanca, the local name for Xarel·lo. This grape thrives in the sauló soil and gives wines with white flower, green almond, and a salty Mediterranean edge. They also champion Mataró, known elsewhere as Monastrell or Mourvèdre. Beyond the indigenous varieties, they grow Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Parellada, Macabeo, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Garnacha. The cava range is serious business. Since 2015, all their cavas fall into premium categories: Reserva, Gran Reserva, and Paraje Calificado. The flagship is Exeo, a single-vineyard cava from the Vallcirera plot that ages up to 18 years in exceptional vintages. Then there's Alta Alella 10, aged at least a decade on the lees. All their cavas are bone-dry with zero dosage. The natural wine line includes pet-nats under the Aus brand, an orange wine, and still wines like Tallarol and Merla. They even make sweet wines from Pansa Blanca and Monastrell.