Impact

A NEW CAVA WITH A GRAPE SOUL

“The soul of a wine can only be expressed if it is made with love, and love is found in people's hearts... “ Pepe Raventós

The Raventós family has been making wine with heart and soul for over 500 years, but just this month, its 21st generation, led by Pepe Raventós, released a vintage with a new philosophy that makes even more of an impact: The 2009 de la Finca Cava. It is one of the finest single estate cavas ever produced.

Photo: Courtesy of Raventós i Blanc.

It is a particularly special vintage because that was the first year the winemaker embarked on a mission of authenticity and biodynamic approach, which they call “biosynergy.” The family reinstated the traditional method of vine-growing, which was first used on the estate in 1497.

Photo: Courtesy of Raventós i Blanc. La Barbera.

When José María Raventós and his son Manuel decided to found the Raventós i Blanc winery at the heart of this historic estate, in 1972, their intention was to find the purest possible way of uniting grape-growing and winemaking - the link between Nature and Man. The de la Finca shift, in 2009, employing José María Raventós’ initial coupage, produced from an original five-grape assemblage, with Xarel·lo as its base, brings this beautiful concept full circle.

Photo: Courtesy of Raventós i Blanc. Biosynergies.

The land, the crops, the animals, and humans work together in harmony as a single agricultural unit. Sheep and cattle graze the estate, keeping it well-mowed, in lieu of tractors, and they keep it well fertilized, in lieu of chemicals. Horses help with plantings and harvests. A group of donkeys is responsible for clearing the woods and the vineyards.

The fertility of the soil is determined by the health of the animals and plants. If any need special care, they are only treated with homeopathic medicines or organic preparations. They even control the nasty Lobesia Botrana pest naturally -- with sexual confusion techniques.

Photo: Courtesy of Raventós i Blanc. Raventos i Blanc Vineyard.

The Raventós i Blanc estate includes 90 hectares of vineyards, woodlands, and a lake in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, just west of Barcelona. I had the pleasure of visiting recently and can personally attest to all levels of sensory magnificence here. Plus, it has the perfect terroir for producing sparkling wines. It lies in a geographical depression between the coastal mountain range to the east, Montserrat to the north, and the Serra d'en Compte mountains to the west, at the heart of the grape-growing region of Alt Penedès.

Photo: Cristian Godoy, Courtesy of Ordal Vi. Xarel·lo Grapes.

The winters are mild, the summers are hot and dry -- all moderated by the nearby Mediterranean Sea, enabling a long, slow, ripening process. These grapes beautifully retain their acidity, essential for sparkling wines, which require a longer aging process.

Photo: Courtesy of Raventós i Blanc. Autumn at Raventós i Blanc.

Studies conducted by Olivier Tregoat (an expert on Bordeaux soils) and Lluís Cabrera (professor of geology at the University of Barcelona) have shown that the soils on the Raventós i Blanc estates date back to 16 million years ago and contain large quantities of marine fossil sediments encrusted in the clay and loam layer above a calcareous base. This gives their sparkling wine its characteristic salty and mineral notes.

Photo: Courtesy of Raventós i Blanc. Old Xarel·los vines.

Raventós i Blanc is continuing the process of converting the entire estate from organic practice to biodynamic. And it is now committed to using only 100% native grape, varieties, including Macabeo, Xarel·lo, Parellada and Monastrell, as old non-native varieties are being phased out.

Photo: Courtesy of Raventós i Blanc. Workers tending to grape vines.

Harvesting is done manually, with separate collection and vinification of each plot. The grapes enter the winery by gravity vs pumps. They are pressed gently, also at low temperatures. They enter static sedimentation at low temperatures. At each stage, the atmosphere is controlled by dry ice. The cavas are bottle-aged, horizontally, for at least four years, clarified manually in racks, and disgorged on demand.

Video: Courtesy of Raventos i Blanc. Pepe Raventos.

The stellar 2009 de la Finca cycle began with a rainy fall and winter, which yielded an unprecedented abundance of water. The xarel·lo vines started budding a week earlier than usual. A dry spring meant that plant growth was slow and healthy. The vines had plenty to drink during July, which slowed down the ripening process at a key time.

Photo: Courtesy of Wikipedia. Parellada Grapes.

A hot dry August meant that the harvest carried on for ten days longer than usual. This was ideal for optimum phenol ripening with the highest possible level of natural acidity. And now, we finally get to taste the beautiful prize.

Photo: Courtesy of Spanish Select Wines. Cava.