Decanter | Juvé & Camps

The inaugural event welcomed Juvé & Camps, historic producer of premium traditional-method sparkling wine from DO Cava. The tasting was hosted by Ines Salpico, Decanter’s Regional Editor for Spain, and José ‘Pepe’ Hidalgo Camacho, technical director across Juvé & Camps’ different estates (in addition to its flagship sparkling range, Juvé & Camps produces still wines in Espiells, Penedès, and Anguix, Ribera del Duero).

But it's not just the emphasis on aged cuvées that makes Juvé & Camps stand out: the winery uses only estate-grown hand-harvested fruit, and has long been committed to sustainability, with all its wines certified organic since 2015. Guests were welcomed with a glass of the Reserva de la Familia Rosé Gran Reserva Brut Nature – tasting this new expression on the very day of its launch! With its elegant intensity and moreish character, the rosé was a fitting prelude to the many discussions that followed: covering terroir expressiveness, stylistic definition, vintage variation, food pairing potential and much more.

Decanter presents… Juvé & Camps

Exploring the art of long-aged premium sparkling wines

Following an overview of the history, evolution and structure of Juvé & Camps’ vineyards and winery, the first flight was poured: a mini-vertical of the renowned Reserva de la Familia Gran Reserva Brut Nature consisting of the 2010, 2014 and 2019 vintages. This flagship blend of Xarel·lo, Macabeu and Parellada has become emblematic of Juvé & Camps’ focus on long-aged cuvées with no dosage. Hidalgo explained how, in order to achieve this fresh complexity, the unique identity of each grape and terroir comes into play – striking the perfect balance between aromatics and acidity. When asked whether he’d ever been tempted to add dosage, Hidalgo answered with an emphatic ‘no’ – explaining that Juvé & Camps’ vineyards always deliver fruit with the quality and structure needed. The grapes are sourced from three estates – Mediona (Parellada), Cuscona (Macabeu) and Espiells (Xarel·lo) – at different altitudes and with different soil profiles, all contributing to the overall balance and ageability of this cuvée. The Mediona sites, sitting at 500-750 metres altitude, help ensure that the wines retain their freshness and drive.

The essence of an iconic wine

In partnership with Juvé & Camps

The first of these perfectly exemplifies the many ways in which Juvé & Camps has been a pioneer: of sustainability, long lees ageing and low-to-no dosage – not to mention the Xarel·lo variety, on which the cuvée’s blend is based. Released in 1972, Juvé & Camps’ first Gran Reserva set a new benchmark for premium Cava.

Discover more: www.juveycamps.com/en/

On a balmy early autumn evening, Decanter opened its doors for the first time after the expansion of its in-house tasting suite. The space already hosts the magazine’s regular panel tasting sessions, and, going forward, is where select producers will be invited to present and discuss their wines. These tastings will be unique opportunities for readers to hear directly from winemakers and Decanter’s editors, while tasting some of the world’s most iconic wines.

For Hidalgo, great wines are made in the vineyard – particularly sparklings. In order to remain committed to excellence in the face of climate change, Juvé & Camps is continuously working to identify the best sources of fruit for the future. The key, he argues, is altitude – Juvé & Camps plants at higher elevations to continue its tradition of fresh complexity. Future challenges only underscore the dedicated commitment of producers such as Juvé & Camps. All those at the Decanter event felt privileged not only to taste an incredible line-up of sparkling wines but also to hear from Hidalgo about the effort, attention to detail and time that go into each glass of Juvé & Camps.

Looking to the future

The second flight consisted of the 2014 and 2019 vintages of the Millesimé Blanc de Noirs. The cuvée is produced with Pinot Noir fruit from the 11-hectare Rieral vineyard, a plot in the Espiells estate with shallow limestone soils. This flight illustrated the sense of place across all wines – even those based on international varieties. Hidalgo compared the different stages of evolution and offered a fascinating description of the alchemical processes that happen as the lees (dead yeast cells) interact with the ageing wine. Hidalgo explained that vintage variation plays a key role: different vintages yield wines with distinctive characteristics. Over time, these evolve in diverging and sometimes surprising ways – especially in those cuvées, such as the Millesimé Blanc de Noirs, that rely on a single plot. If anything, Hidalgo remarked, ageing in fact accentuates the character of a vintage.

A sense of time and place

The final, spectacular flight consisted of three of Juvé & Camps’ prestige cuvées:

Freshness, focus and depth

La Siberia 2015 and La Capella 2011, on the other hand, are monovarietal wines (Pinot Noir and Xarel·lo respectively) hailing from small plots in Espiells that are planted to 40-year-old vines and deliver remarkable concentration and minerality. Made only in exceptional vintages, these wines are crafted to capture the essence of their varieties and unique vineyard sites.

La Capella 2011

La Siberia 2015

Gran Juvé & Camps 2018

Tenuta di Arceno's resident winemaker Lawrence Cronin

Throughout the evening, guests were introduced to Juvé & Camps’ history, philosophy and premium sparkling range, but also, more broadly, to the complex art of producing long-aged traditional-method sparkling wines. Indeed, Juvé & Camps is renowned for its Reserva and Gran Reserva cuvées: while Gran Reserva accounts for only 1% of DO Cava’s production, it represents an impressive 60% of the producer's yearly output. All the wines presented had been disgorged in May/June 2024, giving a shared reference point and allowing for an objective comparison of the influence of lees ageing.

Discover more: www.juveycamps.com/en/

https://www.decanter.com/wine-reviews/spain/catalonia/slugs-89343

Meritxell Juvé, CEO and 4th generation Juvé & Camps

José 'Pepe' Hidalgo Camacho, technical director at Juvé & Camps