Abadal, a traditional winery with more than 8 centuries of history

Abadal was born from the ambition to showcase the winemaking potential of the Bages region (in the heart of Catalonia) and to convey its essence and personality. It is defined by an innovative spirit and by ties to the world of wine dating back more than 8 centuries. The winery produces expressive, authentic wines from native and distinctive grape varieties, with a clear desire to translate into the wines the sensations evoked by the lush, wooded and truly special landscape that surrounds them.

Expression and depth

Abadal 3.9 Vino de Finca is the living expression of the plot where it is grown — polygon 3, plot 9, hence its name — with limestone soils over red clay.

Technical Sheet

Winery: Estate Vineyards, at Bodegas Abadal, Santa Maria de Horta de Avinyó, (Barcelona)
D.O. Pla del Bages
Vintage: 2019
Alcohol: 14.5%

Variety: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Tasting notes: Abadal 3.9 has an opaque cherry color, with balsamic tones and a spicy background from the oak barrel.
On the nose: it elegantly combines fruity notes with spicy, balsamic and mineral touches.
On the palate: elegant, balsamic and mineral, broad and powerful, with a long finish showing hints of cocoa and cassis.

Serving temperature: 16ºC

Winemaking: The vineyards of Abadal 3.9 have the distinctive feature of growing in a wooded area with limestone soil over red clay. These are 30-year-old vines that benefit from low rainfall and a marked temperature variation between day and night. By combining traditional winemaking techniques with cutting-edge concepts, the winery obtains quality grapes with identity. When the grapes reach their optimum ripeness, they are selected and harvested by hand.

In the winery, each variety for Abadal 3.9 is vinified separately in stainless-steel tanks, with temperature control and the traditional “submerged cap” kept within the fermenting mass. It then ages in different 1- and 2-year-old French and American oak barrels for 12 months. Finally, it rests for a further 12 months in bottle before release.

This is a single-estate wine from one unique vineyard: specifically polygon 3 and plot 9. A very special area whose limestone soil lends the wine especially interesting fresh, mineral and balsamic sensations.

Pairing: at Made in Spain Gourmet we recommend it with aged sheep’s or goat’s cheeses. Roasts, game, Iberian cured meats, grilled red meats and stews.

Bodega Abadal: a winegrowing oasis in the heart of Catalonia.

Authenticity

A synonym for differentiation, and driven by the desire to reflect the identity of the territory and its singular wooded setting, they are committed to highlighting local grape varieties that reach their finest expression in the terroir from which they originate. Picapoll, Mandó and Sumoll are living examples — one might say ambassadors — of the essence of the region, bringing a distinctive hallmark to their red and white wines. It could be described as the ultimate expression of terroir.

Innovation

With so much winegrowing experience in the Roqueta family, owner of Bodega Abadal, spanning more than 8 centuries, innovation is a very important part of their business philosophy. From the outset, they have worked diligently in pursuit of innovation: constant innovation in their methods of work and production, always nourished by the history that precedes them, and taking the lead in research and recovery of local varieties from the Bages region (Barcelona). It is the perfect recipe: a commitment to the future development of native varieties, always looking back to the experience of the past, which will surely lead them to success.

Passion for wine

Unlike other wineries, the tradition and 22 generations behind Roqueta Origen make them acknowledge the good fortune of devoting 100% of their time to what is also their passion: viticulture and winemaking. In a privileged landscape, surrounded on all sides by woodland, where nature and sustainability are in the air and where the vineyards are hidden within the forest like a private oasis. Daily work in the vineyard provides information, an essence, which in their own way they transmit to the wines, as if offering a small piece of that singular environment to everyone who has the chance to enjoy their wines.

Abadal pays tribute to the roots and winemaking tradition of the Roqueta family in the privileged natural setting that defines the winery.

Abadal, among the world’s most admired wine brands

Abadal is considered one of the world’s most admired wine brands, according to the prestigious British magazine Drinks International. The announcement of the long-awaited list “The World’s Most Admired Wine Brands 2021, revealed the ranking of the 50 most admired wine brands worldwide.

The jury consisted of more than 200 global industry experts, including Masters of Wine, winemakers, sommeliers, journalists and buyers, among others, who were asked to choose the five wine brands they most admire based on criteria such as quality, expression of their country or region of origin, presentation and brand awareness, among others.

Founded in 1972, Drinks International is the only magazine dedicated exclusively to the global wine, spirits and beer market. It is an industry benchmark that provides its international readers with news on the latest developments and trends in the global drinks industry.

D.O. Pla de Bages
That Bages is a land of wines is a fact. It is not clear when vine growing began in this region, but the author of the medieval manuscript "Miracula Sancti Benedicti" interpreted the name Bages as deriving from Bacchus, the pagan god of wine. From Bacchus came Bacasis and finally Bages.

The first signs of vines and wine in the Bages region are found in Roman villas. In the villa of Boades (Castellgalí), an Iberian-Roman ceramic piece dating from the 1st or 2nd century BC was found, bearing an inscription with the word VINUM. Several amphora remains were also located and are preserved in the Museu Comarcal de Manresa. The first evidence of wine production was found in La Feliua (Sant Fruitós de Bages), where a large stone slab was located: the base of an ancient press dating from the end of the Roman period in the 4th or 5th century AD.

Climate
Within a mid-mountain continental Mediterranean climate, Bages has ideal conditions for vine growing: an exceptional microclimate, low rainfall and strong temperature variation, as well as clay-limestone soils. Its wines are infused with balsamic notes of lavender, thyme and rosemary. These aromatic plants populate the pine, oak and holm oak forests surrounding the vineyards.

These peculiarities make Bages an optimal area for producing wines of great value.

Most important varieties

Among the white grapes

Picapoll Blanc

A late-ripening variety, with oval berries and thick skins that protect it during its long maturation. It produces wines of medium acidity, making them very approachable while enhancing their sense of volume. Aromatically, it reveals citrus notes such as grapefruit, the aromatic herb lavender and, in cooler years, floral notes (white flowers such as jasmine).

Macabeo

A medium-cycle variety. It brings elegance to the blends of the area. It is characterized by notes of white fruit and a medium contribution of alcohol and acidity.

Malvasía

Malvasía is a white grape variety, although a black sub-variety also exists. Malvasía grapes are small and not very compact. The berry is large, tender and ovoid, very sweet and aromatic.
The wine made from this grape variety is also called Malvasía, or Malvasía wine: a white liqueur wine, sweet, fragrant and high in alcohol. In the Middle Ages it was believed to have medicinal and tonic properties and is mentioned in Tirant lo Blanc.

Among the black/red grapes

Mandó

Mandó is an almost-forgotten black grape variety that is being successfully recovered. Wines made from this variety surprise with their quality and personality. For this reason, a major effort is being made to reintroduce it by rescuing the few vines that survived after it was abandoned. It produces medium-sized, considerably compact clusters. Its berries are small and spherical, reaching maturity with a violet hue.

Sumoll

The best-preserved native black variety in the area. Medium cycle, with large berries and medium-high yields. It produces red wines with little color but great freshness and tannic structure, in a continental style (that is, closer to Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo than to Bordeaux varieties). Its tannins are difficult to ripen, which is why it has traditionally been considered a good variety for making rosés.

Picapoll negra

A black grape with loose clusters and small, spherical berries that are very flavorful, with very thin and tender skins.
The wine made from black Picapoll grapes is pale in color, with high alcohol content and an intense aroma.