FRANC Cava de Guarda Superior Brut Reserva 2021

It’s hard to overstate the impact of Agusti Torello Mata on the world of Spanish wine. At 13 years old, Mata left home to work with his uncle who was a winemaker. After studying oenology at school, he dedicated his career to innovation in Cava production in his native land of Catalunya. The former president of the Catalan Association of Winemakers for 12 years and founder of the Cava Brotherhood in 1979, in 1984, the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture awarded Torelló the first Gold Medal for merit in winemaking. Finally, in 1986, Mata founded his eponymous winery on the outskirts of Sant Sadurni where he and his children and grandchildren make wine to this day. Mata pioneered a serious, cellar-worthy Cava style using organic practices. His iconic Kripta, first produced in 1978, features a distinctive amphora-shaped bottle designed for optimal lees movement and ages minimum seven years under natural cork. This monumental wine earned recognition among devoted Champagne enthusiasts. Today, the winery operates as Celler Kripta under his descendants, adhering to strict standards: 100% certified organic, hand-harvested grapes from 10+ year-old vineyards with limited yields, plus extended aging requirements. The new D.O. regulations essentially codify the excellence benchmark the Mata family established decades ago.