Caelus represents the biggest challenge of Celler U MES U and the culmination of many years of experimentation with the variety and its elaboration as a blanc de noir. A Cava Gran Reserva with more than 60 months of aging that is named after the God of the sky from Roman mythology.
Celler U MES U begins 2023 by launching a new Gran Reserva that will be positioned as the most Premium Cava in its range of wines and cavas. With this, it aims to claim the potential of the Pinot Noir variety adapted to the high areas of the Penedès and position itself as a benchmark in the production of sparkling wines. The winery, born in 2000 with the aim of producing distinctive wines for their complexity, finesse and freshness, is a great supporter of the aging potential of this variety and has a track record of 30 years of experience in its preparation.
This new Cava is named after Caelus, God of Roman mythology, guardian of the sky, creator of the clouds, winds and rain that give life to our land. It is a Cava inspired by the contemplation of the sky, the result of patience and an exercise in observing and interpreting the variety and the environment. A single-varietal Pinot Noir made as blanc de noirs and aged for more than 60 months in cork.
The winery’s history with this variety dates back to 1993, when it planted its first vineyard of 3.5 hectares of Pinot Noir in Mas Moió, Font-rubí. This vineyard, which has been cultivated organically since its birth, was consciously planted so that the orientation of the vines avoids that the grapes receive the direct impact of the sun, a key factor to obtain a slow maturation and thus be able to elaborate a blanc de noirs.
A few years later, in 2006, the winery planted the Can Grau vineyard in Sant Martí Sarroca (1.6 hectares), with which it was able to increase its production of Pinot Noir and continued to study the aging potential of this variety, which has a differential behavior when grown in warmer areas such as the Penedès. Increasingly convinced that this variety makes it possible to produce Caves of incomparable elegance and delicacy, in 2018 the winery acquired another 5.2 hectares of Pinot Noir located on the Puntatge estate, in Font-rubí.
Today, after 30 harvests of incessant learning and a great job of interpreting this variety to be able to show its subtlety and delicacy, the winery has been able to see the results: the Cava Larus (Coupage of Pinot Noir de Mas Moió) has been recognized with a gold medal at the Decanter awards in 2022 and Cava Ardea (rosé Pinot Noir from the El Puntatge estate) received a gold medal at Catavinum the same year.
In this way, as a first at Barcelona Wine Week, the winery has presented a new Cava Gran Reserva made with Pinot Noir from the Can Grau vineyard. From this vineyard located at 390 m above sea level, with a mild climate, influenced by the Mediterranean pre-coastal range, Caelus is obtained, considered by the winery to be its most elegant and most complex Cava to date today.
A CAVA 100% PINOT NOIR BLANC DE NOIRS WITH NO DOSAGE
Caelus represents the culmination of the art of elaboration and allows you to discover and enjoy the maximum expression of Pinot Noir, with the distinctive personality that it acquires in the Penedès.
It also represents the Pinot Noir variety in its essence, as the desire to preserve its purest and most delicate aromas is paramount. Thus, Caelus is manually decanted without adding liquor after aging for more than 60 months in cork, which gives it great complexity and creaminess.
In the glass, it offers us a divine experience. The finesse and subtlety of the bubble, the complexity and aromatic frankness of this Cava give us a unique experience. In the mouth it shows the perfect balance between creaminess and freshness. An elixir with endless aromas of red fruit remind us that this is a black variety made as blanc de noirs. The freshness persists accompanied by a great immensity of nuances.
The first harvest of Caelus, 2016, consists of a total of 4,570 units of bottles, all of them listed.
“Caelus, guardian of the sky, rains and winds. God forgotten, long ago revered. Now, get this Cava, divine elixir, so that everything can be enjoyed.”
THE SKY, THE CONDUCTING THREAD OF ALL THE WINES AND CAVAS OF U MES U
U MES U has always had a great relation with the sky and all that surrounds it, looking at the sky is the one that gives a sense of relevance to the universe, a sense that inspires us to innovate and experiment and also to take care of our environment, the two most important values of the cellar. It is for this reason that this new Cava bears the name of a Roman deity that is located at the top of its celestial universe.
The sky is also for the cellar a source of inspiration that encourages them to fly more there and to learn reptiles like the one that represents Caelus: the reptile to elaborate a white wine with a black varietal; the transformation of a raïm that arrives at the evening with lilose tonalities at the cellar and reveals a most blanc and fruitat in the morning, when the first rays of sun already shine.
THE CAVA PRESENTATION DURING BWW 2023
As a presentation, the winery carried out a reverse vertical tasting in which it started by tasting the base wine from the 2022 vintage and continued with the tasting of the 2021 vintage, with only 9 months of aging. The 2018 harvest was also tasted, with 44 months of aging, in which the complexity and elegance of Caelus begin to be appreciated. Finally, the Caelus 2016 was first tasted, available on the market from February 2023.
This surprises for its complexity and aromatic frankness, with notes of forest fruits and tertiary aromas of toasted bread and toasted hazelnuts. In the mouth it shows a fine and subtle bubble and seduces with its freshness and liveliness contrasted by the creaminess in the mouth. The freshness persists accompanied by a great immensity of nuances.