OK, so which plonker left his copious, in-depth, beautifully crafted Codorníu Cava tasting notes in a certain Barcelona hotel room? That’ll be me then. What this does give though is an excuse not to bore you to death with a ream of tasting notes; however well-crafted and entertaining they would have been.

What I’m left with is another ‘amateur’ video showing a portion of the cellar train tour and various photographs of the impressive halls and museum that form the Codorníu ‘experience’. Famed architect Josep Puig í Cadafalch built the stunning complex; he was an ‘exponent of the School of Modernist Architecture’ along with Gaudí. The halls at Codorníu are beautifully impressive. The complex is vast, the underground cellars extensive; so huge many passages have road signs, which you might spot in the video clip.

The estate is fully geared up for tourists and, being handily near to Barcelona, receive over 100,000 a year. For just €8 or €6 if pre-booked you get an hour and half tour and a decent tasting of Codorníu cavas. Bargain.

I recall being rather impressed with the tapas-loving Pinot Noir rosé (and the rosé made from Monastrell, Garnacha and Trepat, a local grape) and positive comments were made over the Codorníu Gran Plus Ultra Brut Nature (which is a new sparkler about to be released) made with 85% Chardonnay of which 5% has received oak and 15% Pinot Noir. But was it the Codorníu 2007, with a 50/50 Pinot Noir/Chardonnay split or the Jaume Codorníu 50% Chardonnay/50% Parellada that stole the show… damn my haste to pack and not miss the breakfast buffet.

Codorníu Cavas are widely available. Check Adegga or Snooth for details. More photographs from Codorníu including some museum exhibits over on SpittoonExtra. Full set from this Spanish trip on flickr.