Producer: PARES BALTA
Designation of Origin: DO PENEDES
Variety: 100% Parellada
Winemaking: Fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks.
JAN code: 4582565785104
Reference: 2012 vintage rating
International Wine Cellar 2013 Sep/Oct…88 points
Harvested from Parellada's vineyards (over 600m) at the highest altitude in Penedès. For Parellada, where most harvesting is done at 200m to 300m, the harvest was late (usually harvested by mid-September, but these grapes were harvested in early October). Because it was harvested late, the sugar content is high and the taste is pleasant and sweet.
The name of the wine, Honey Moon, comes from its taste. The balance of the ripeness of the fruit and the acidity typical of Parellada is perfectly balanced. In addition to the herbal aroma of the grapes obtained from the temperature difference, this wine is characterized by the herbal aroma from the garriques that grow around the field. Palace Barta is a family-run producer founded by the Cuzine family in 1790, more than 200 years ago, in Penedès, a major producer of sparkling wine "Cava" in Spain, located about 40 km southwest of Barcelona. In addition to Cava, they produce casual range red and white wines, as well as very high quality wines called "micro-cuvees" that are made only in good years.
Taking advantage of the favorable environment, we practice organic farming. Although we are not certified by any organization, we display a mark that says "ORGANIC FARMING" on the back label so that you can tell that our produce is grown organically.
After the harvest, sheep are let out to graze on the fields, where they eat the grapes and leaves that were not harvested, and then they defecate there, naturally fertilizing the fields. During pollination season, they release bees from contracted beekeepers into the fields to help with pollination.
The shepherds can get safe food for their sheep, and the beekeepers can use it to make honey, so there is a mutual interest between them without any special payment. It is impressive that they not only utilize the natural ecosystem itself, but also cultivate grapes in a good balance with other local industries.
Part of the vineyards is located in an area permitted for cultivation within the Foix Regional Natural Park, allowing the wine to be produced in a unique microclimate surrounded by untouched nature.
For example, there are areas where wild herbs such as rosemary grow in clusters, fields in an area where a waterfall flows, which is the beginning of the Fore River, keeping the fields cool even in summer, and the soil is extremely diverse, with types such as limestone, red clay, fields with clay mixed with pebbles, fields with round stones covering the topsoil, sharp stones, and stones mixed with fossils.
Palace Barta is also symbolized by its two female winemakers. Marta is the wife of the owner, Mr. Joan Cuzinet, and Maria is the wife of the owner's younger brother, Jose. Both have experience in winemaking in Europe and America, and produce wines with the delicate sensibilities that only women can have. The advantage of being two people is that they can make wine while consulting with each other when they have a problem, and they are able to create wines with a well-balanced flavor, rather than one winemaker's style being the only one.
Indeed, the taste of the wine produced expresses the character of the vineyard and the variety to the fullest, but is not dominated by the "personality of the winemaker," and is finished in a natural taste. It seems that the quality has improved remarkably especially since the mid-2000s, when the experience of Palace Barta was accumulated.
As if to support this, the 2005 edition of the leading Spanish wine guide, Guia Penin, praised Palace Barta's wines, saying, "Palace Barta's wines are surprisingly interesting and are really on the rise right now." Furthermore, in 2005 John Radford, who is in charge of Spanish wine for Decanter magazine in the UK, selected the winery as one of "Spain's Top 20 Up-and-coming wineries."
Wine Advocate also introduced Palace Barta as "the enviable Penedès winery" and praised the winery for "continuing to develop into an international winery."
On the list of the world's top restaurants
Palace Barta wines are used by the five-star hotel "Ritz Madrid", which is reputed to be one of the most luxurious and established hotels in Europe, alongside those in Paris and London. They are not only on the menu of all restaurants, including the main dining room "Restaurant Goya", but are also used at events such as weddings.
Palace Barta wines are also listed on the menus of some of the world's finest restaurants, including El Celler de Can Roca, which was ranked number one in 2013 in the World's Top 50 Restaurants, published annually by Restaurant Magazine, Mexico's Bico, which was also ranked in the World's Top 50 Restaurants, L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Paris, The Fat Cow, a restaurant in Los Angeles produced by Gordon Ramsay, and Zuma, a high-end Japanese restaurant in Dubai.