Cara Nord Blanco is composed of approx. 40-62% Macabeo, 29-40% Chardonnay and 9-20% Trepat (blue grape vinified as white) from organically cultivated plots on the north-facing slopes of the Prades Mountains, at an altitude of 800 m.a.s.l. – just below the forest line. The different parcels are carefully selected for the right grape variety, based on the subsoil and the location. Here you mainly find rocks, slate and calcareous clay, which give very mineral white wines. In addition, the long ripening of the grapes (due to the altitude and the large temperature changes between day and night) produces delicate, crisp and fruity wines.
After a classic, cool (18ºC) fermentation in steel tanks, the wine “sur lie” matures for 3 months in the same type of tank, this to preserve the wine’s immediate freshness and aroma.
Cara Nord Blanco has a nice, glossy, light golden colour. The scent is slightly exotic with nuances of citrus, grapefruit, pineapple and passion fruit as well as light, ethereal and oily notes. The taste is dry and precise with a good structure and a little fat. The wine finishes minerally and with slightly salty notes as well as a quite crisp and long aftertaste. A little oxygenation is recommended, as the wine “opens up” more this way. Suitable for seafood and fish, sushi, pasta, vegetable dishes, but also for e.g. goat’s cheese.
The Cara Nord winery in Conca de Barberà in Penedès was founded in 2012 by the pair of friends Tomàs Cusiné and Xavier Cepero. They shared a great passion for good wines, while they each trained in wine production and subsequently worked in the wine industry. The two friends decided to start their joint wine adventure, Cara Nord, in the high-altitude, rugged and relatively cool district, Conca de Barberà, where wine production can be a challenge. But their belief was that if you really put in the effort, you could in return achieve fantastic, precise, delicate and characterful wines here. They were not wrong in their convictions!
The vineyards are located at an altitude of 500-800 m.a.s.l. and the vines are up to 80 years old. Although the summers here at these altitudes are relatively cool in the wine sense, they are nevertheless quite hot, in addition to being long and dry. There is thus not much rain during the growing season, so it is of absolutely vital importance that the subsoil almost acts like a sponge, holding the rain that falls in winter and in early spring. The water is then slowly released to the vines during the long growing season. At the same time, it forces the roots of the vines to search deeper for the necessary moisture, which results in healthy and vigorous vines that produce concentrated and aroma-filled grapes. Large temperature differences between day and night and cool winds result in slow ripening and healthy grapes, and the increased UV radiation in the high-lying fields also results in grapes with a thicker skin layer, which acts as a protection against various diseases. The terms “Dry Farming” and “High Altitude Vines” make a lot of sense here!
The vineyards at Cara Nord are grown organically, and from vintage 2021 all their (DO) Conca de Barberà wines are certified organic. Among the grape varieties grown are Garnacha (Grenache), Syrah, Garrut (Monastrell) and Trepat for the red and rosé wines, as well as Macabeo, Chardonnay and Albariño for the white wines.
Production is very limited at Cara Nord, but the wines are simply impressive.
