Succés Vinícola
About
Mariona Vendrell and Albert Canela were, thankfully, precisely that kind of nuts, two young lovers at the local university who decided to decamp to the hills shortly after meeting and marry their fortunes to the quietest part of Catalunya. Mariona came from a small town in Tarragona called El Catllar, while Albert hails from the region, from a family of grape growers who know the Conca like the back of their hand. From day one, the project was to be focused on the grapes nearly everyone with any sense was ripping up, Trepat and Parellada, both of which have had decades-long reputations of cheap fillers and afterthoughts. This isn’t to say, by the way, that trepat needs to be planted in, say, Minnesota or parellada in Alsace - although stranger vines have become international. Rather, it’s clear that when grown well and vinified sagely, the pair are the best prisms to view Conca’s terroir through. Through them, one can discern the land, lean and angular and abundant with herbs – a veritable high desert next to the rolling and bucolic Penedes lowlands.
While romance and adventure might have gotten their feet in the door, fourteen years on (and 9 with Coeur!) it's clear that skill and dedication are what has built the ragtag winery into what might be, quietly, one of the very best in Iberia. Succés, by the way, is a false cognate – rather than predicting their rise in prominence, the name instead means an event or a happening, so they’re just as surprised as anyone else. Truly, the Vinícola’s “Succéss” was certainly not a given and has, at times, felt incremental. Years were spent in shared winery spaces, including a wild stint of fermenting wines in shipping containers because they were easier to keep temperature controlled. There were barrels to break in, tastes to polish, vineyards to rebuild and though each year, the wines stayed affordable and got sharper.
And then, sometime in the last 5 years the wines turned the kind of corner you hope every winemaker does – they moved from great to essential – wines that define the region, along with their mentor Joan Ramon Escoda, under whose tutelage the duo learned to trust the terroir and dramatically cut out the additives. The old classics, cuca de llum and experiencia, are still there and are still affordable and delicious. In fact, the current release could very well be the strongest of either, but they are now supplemented with some incredibly serious statement wines that run circles around more famous stuff three times the price. To say we’re proud is an understatement. We’re lucky to be able to offer these wines to you all, and cannot wait for you all to agree with us.
Products
Trepat 'Cuca de Llum'
Organic. 20-47 year-old bush-trained Trepat, calcareous clay @ 400-500 m. A large, thin-skinned grape similar to Poulsard or Schiava, Trepat produces light-bodied, aromatic reds reminiscent of Jura reds. Spontaneous fermentation is stainless steel, 30 day skin contact, aged 5 months on the fine lees in stainless steel and bottled with the tiniest amount of SO2.
Parellada 'Experiencia'
Organic. 40-60 year-old bush trained Parellada grown in calcareous clay @ 500-700m. Succés Vinícola is among the first producers to make a still Parellada and is arguably the benchmark producer for the grape. raditionally one of the main grapes for Cava, Parellada is a late-ripening variety that likes high altitudes (it only thrives above 400m, and has as long a ripening/growing cycle as Riesling). 40% comes from one vineyard and is completely fermented on the skins for 20 days in steel. The other 60% comes from a second vineyard and is direct pressed then fermented in steel (spontaneous for both). Unfined, unfiltered, with zero SO2.
Feedback
Organic. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Trepat from old vines. The vineyards of Trepat and Cabernet have clay and limestone soil. The Cabernet vineyard is 700 meters and the Trepat is between 400 and 450 meters. The Trepat and the Cabernet are cofermented in a stainless steel tank. The grapes ferment for approximately 20 days with the indigenous yeast. Low amounts of sulfites added. Fermentation is kept between 18 and 25 degrees Celsius. After 10 days of fermentation, the grapes are pressed and put back in tanks and undergo malolactic fermentation. The wine is then put into oak barrels for approximately three years depending on vintage. Approx annual production 300-350 cs.
Trepat Rosado 'Patxanga'
Organic. 100% Trepat sourced from 40 year-old bush-trained vines grown calcareous clay @ 400-500 m. Hand-picked at low brix and sorted, then direct pressed into stainless steel. Spontaneous fermentation and ageing in steel with zero sulfur added.
Old Vines Trepat 'El Mentider'
Organic. 100% Trepat. Composed of three vineyards totalling less than 4 ha. Old bush-trained vines between 80-119 years old Calcareous clay @ 400-500 Handpicked in small boxes. Spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel tanks. Macerated for about 45 days. Malolactic spontaneously in barrels of 300-500 L. Aged in Burgundy barrels from 225L-600L capacity during about 9 months, depending on the vintage. Very low dose of sulphites. Mentider (Catalan for ‘liar’) is a monovarietal wine produced from Trepat, native to Conca de Barberà. This grape is characterized by low alcohol content, light body and color. Generally, it is used as base wine for rosé cava. When we saw the potential of this old- vine fruit, the opposite of the general definition, we decided to name it Mentider.
Parellada El Pedregal
Organic. The Pedregal vineyard, all 0.2 ha of it, are some of the oldest vineyards of Parellada on Earth at over 60 years in age. The soil here is rocky, calcareous clay with large stones (think Chablis) kicking around on the surface. Altitude is 550 meters. Hand-harvested at cool temperatures, direct pressed, settled, and racked to stainless steel where spontaneous fermentation with no additions occurs. Ageing in stainless steel and bottled with no fining/filtering/additions. 50 cs produced.
Trepat 'La Trompa'
Organic. 100% Trepat. 7-year-old vines on calcareous soils @ 530 meters. Destemmed and foot tread twice a day for 2-3 days in tank. Then whole berry pressed and spontaneous fermentation. Aged for 4 months and bottled without filtration. No SO2 added.
Macabeu 'El Prat'
Organic. 100% Macabeu. One hectare, 55 year-old bush-trained plantation of Macabeu in Cabra del Camp, Albert Gutiérrez' ancestral village (his family has been there for over 800 years; he's a fifth-generation vinegrower). 500m elevation on clay soils, at a much higher elevation than much of the generic Macabeu that's grown for industrial Cava. This Macabeu is macerated on skins and whole clusters for three days, finishing fermentation in inox tank. It rests in tank for three-four months before bottling, then is kept in bottle to cohere for another two-three months before release. Unfined, unfiltered, zero SO2 added. A Conca de Barberà Macabeu with a mineral spine, extravagant spice aromas, and no sense of flabbiness or haziness.
