Luis Gutiérrez, reviewer of Spanish wines for Wine Advocate (Robert Parker), has published his latest report on Catalan wines, highlighting several Abadal wines with scores above 90 points.
The highest-rated wine is Abadal Sagristia C-1, which received 94 points. Gutiérrez explains that this rancio wine stems from an R+D project aimed at rescuing old family wines that had aged in barrel in the cellar for decades, blending wines from four different casks of varying ages and profiles. He describes it as “old and nuanced”, with “a bright amber color and a nutty nose à la Sherry, with a hint of varnish”. The critic also highlights its “bone dry and long” palate and its ability to achieve “balance and freshness”, qualities he considers especially remarkable in very old wines.
Also standing out is Abadal Nuat 2023, awarded 92 points. Made from a blend of 75% Picapoll Blanc, 15% Macabeo and 10% Sumoll from a single vineyard planted in 1948, the wine was aged on lees in oak barrels for four months. Gutiérrez praises it as “fresh, balanced, clean and very tasty”, with notes of “white flowers and fruit”, a “textured and chalky mouthfeel” and a “long and precise finish”.
Meanwhile, Abadal Mandó 2023 received 91+ points. The critic describes it as “pale and aromatic”, made from a late-ripening variety that maintained moderate alcohol and freshness. Fermented in stainless steel and aged for one year with 65% in clay amphorae and 35% in used barriques, the wine shows “notes of red berries, some spice and a faint creaminess”, together with “a dry, chalky finish that is clean and tasty”.
