Wines (48 View)

Organic / Biodynamic / Natural / No Added Sulfites

40% Xarel.lo, 25% Macabeu, 35% Montònec (Parellada). Both the Pagès Content Blanc and Orange come from the same plots of vineyards each year, though percentages vary. Parcels: El Blanc (Xarel.lo)+ La Fusta (Montònec)+ Sota l'hort (Macabeu). Both wines are always based on Macabeu, Xarel.lo and Montònec (Parellada); these are the majority of the vineyards at La Salada. De-stemmed and skin contact for 2 days before pressing and co-fermenting for 20 days inside a cairons, a large, old-school Catalan underground fermenter lined with tile, used by previous generations of La Salada family and recovered in 2018. Kept in the cairons for four months’ aging after ferment. In general, the Pagès Content wines are meant to honor the Catalan farming families of the past who worked the land as a vocation with enthusiasm and love. They’re the inspiration for these easygoing wines, based on whichever fruit the year grants. Unfined, unfiltered, zero SO2 added. 10.5% abv

Organic / Biodynamic / Natural / No Added Sulfites

40% Ull de llebre, 40% Merlot, 20% various local red varieties (Sumoll, Rogenc, Cannonnau, Mo`nica,Torbat, and more, a Mas Candí parcel planted in 2005). The Ull de Llebre and Merlot were fermented together and are from two different plots. The 20% of local red grapes are typically found in the Roig Boig cuvée: about 400L didn’t fit into the one large Roig Boig tank; so they blended it together with the Ull de Llebre and Merlot, resulting in a fresher wine they liked for the Pagès Content bottling. 50% destemmed, 50% whole cluster fermentation for two weeks, both performed in stainless steel tanks. In general, the Pagès Content wines are meant to honor the Catalan farming families of the past who worked the land as a vocation with enthusiasm and love. They’re the inspiration for these easygoing wines, based on whichever fruit the year grants. Unfined, unfiltered, zero SO2 added. 12% abv

Organic / Biodynamic / Natural / No Added Sulfites / Orange Wine

85% Macabeu, 10% Xarel.lo, 4% Sumoll, 1% Malvasia de Sitges. One weeks of whole-cluster fermentation and maceration; afterward, pressed off to finish fermentation inside a cairons, a large, old-school Catalan underground fermenter lined with tile where it's aged for 6 months. Plots: Sota l’hort + Sota Allò d’En Pere+ Jepet + El Blanc + Oncle Jaume. In general, the Pagès Content wines are meant to honor the Catalan farming families of the past who worked the land as a vocation with enthusiasm and love. They’re the inspiration for these easygoing wines, based on whichever fruit the year grants. Unfined, unfiltered, zero SO2 added. 9% abv

Organic / Biodynamic / Natural / No Added Sulfites / Skin Contact

100% Xarel.lo. This single vineyard wine is located at the top of a very rocky ridge called La Sierra de Can Rossell (or La Serra in Catalan). La Serra is a southwest-facing, 1ha plot planted in 2008; it is surrounded by olive trees and river stones are prominent throughout its clay-calcaire soil. Two weeks’ worth of maceration, 80% destemmed, with 20% of the fruit done whole-cluster and foot-pressed. Fermented in stainless steel tanks, left in tank until bottling. Unfined, unfiltered, no SO2 added. First produced in 2018. Herbal, subtle, shimmery with minerals, not nearly as weighty and round as Xarel.lo in the Penedès can be.

Organic / Biodynamic / Natural / No Added Sulfites

More of a Rose than a Tinto. Serve chilled! A field blend of Catalan native varieties, both red and white: Sumoll, Roigenc, Mandó, Cannonnau, Monica, Torbat, Parellada and Xarel·lo. The vineyard was planted in 2006 in calcareous clay soil. Manual harvest in 10 kg boxes, with selection of the grapes in the vineyard. The grapes are chilled down and 90% of them are direct pressed. The other 10% is macerated for 4 months with virtually no extraction to limit color and tannins. Indigenous yeasts and no additions; unfined/unfiltered. Fermented and aged in stainless steel. 11.5% abv

Organic / Biodynamic

95 points Wine Advocate
I often find a savory quality in the Malvasia de Sitges, a salty sensation reminiscent of food (chicken broth), that I also found in the 2022 Blau Cru, their Malvasia de Sitges bottling, a wine with ripeness, 13.25% alcohol, a pH of 3.09 and close to nine grams of acidity (tartaric). It's something incredible in the Mediterranean climate and especially in the warm and dry 2022. The grapes can ripen a lot more, but they avoid the topicality and achieve the saline character of the wine, which has a sharp and austere, chalky palate with that tasty, umami-driven finish. This comes from a vineyard they planted in 1996. 7,991 bottles and 103 magnums were produced. It was bottled in May 2023. Drinking Window: 2025-2034

100% Malvasia de Sitges planted in 1999 on rich alluvial soils. Fermented in stainless and aged for 8 months on its lees. This unique clone of Malvasia is brighter than most while still displaying the beautiful aromatics and texture Malvasia is known for. This is serious wine for a song!

Organic / Biodynamic

93 points Wine Advocate
The 2021 Pur Xarel.lo, which is sourced from different vineyards and is a village white for them, fermented with indigenous yeasts, partly in new 500-liter French oak barrels and partly in 1,600-liter concrete eggs, where the wine matured until bottling. It has 12.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.13. 2004 was the first vintage and the first serious aged white wines not produced with French varieties in the zone, feeling proud of the Xarel.lo grape. This is very clean and defined, designed to be able to age in bottle. 2021 was already a dry year, but the wine has no heat, ripeness or warmth, one of the advantages of the grape. It has some savory notes and a seamless palate with vibrant and focused flavors, getting more and more mineral with time in the glass. Ramón Parera compared it with 2017 and 2019, two years when the plants resisted the heat and delivered very complete wines. Their wines are more introverted and serious, subtle on the nose and with minerality on the palate.

100% Xarel-lo from 40-year-old vines planted on shallow, poor soils high in lime content. Half of the wine is made in concrete egg, and half in French oak barrels. Racy acidity in this miveral driven white. Like Loire Valley whites? You are going to love this!

Organic / Biodynamic

92 points Wine Advocate
It's been a long time since I last tasted their entry-level white, the current vintage of which is the 2023 Rupestris, an unusual year, the warmest and driest, when they used more Malvasía de Sitges (26%) because Xarel.lo suffered more. They picked the grapes very early and pressed less to avoid high pH and losing the acidity and tension. That is to say that the wine is fresh and balanced, with 12.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.12, serious, austere and without any sign of heat, excess ripeness or alcohol. They hadn't had rain since June 2020, so they were already alert, and it didn't rain until March 2024. You have the raw limestone and energy from the Penedès soils, impressive for an entry level.

80% Xarel-lo, 20% Malvasia de Sitges
A high altitude blend of 80% Xarel-lo and 20% Malvasia de Sitges. Crisp, fresh and delightful.

Organic

A blend of the native Muscat and the non-native but heat-tolerant Gewürztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc. Well over half of the cuvée is Sauvignon Blanc, which provides both the body and acidity. Depending on the vintage, either one or both Muscat varieties are used in addition to a small proportion of Gewürztraminer to boost the aromatics. An alltitude of 200-400 meters. Hand harvested, fermented in tank for 3 months.

Bring on white wine season, I’m ready! I need a break from these cool weather full-bodied reds. If you are in agreement, then look no further than Gramona Gessami Penedes Blanco 2021. It’s like Spring in a bottle! Gessami is an organically grown blend of Muscat, Gewurztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc, all very aromatic varietals. There is a lovely bouquet of white flowers and orange rind, an interesting combo to say the least. What stands out to me is the texture and fullness of the wine achieved without oak-aging. This is undoubtedly due to the Gewurztraminer. This white is much rounder than a lean New Zealand or French Sauvignon Blanc for instance, but much more refreshing than a full-bodied Chardonnay. Those of you looking for something different to drink this Spring should definitely give this a shot.

Gessami is crafted by Gramona, one of the most prestigious Cava producers. Gramona has a storied history in Penedes, Spain going back to the 1920s! Each generation has brought something new to the estate with Xavier expanding the scientific understanding of lees aging and the inherent properties of Xarel.lo while Jaume has pursued the conversion of all their vineyards – owned and leased – to organic farming as well as converting the family’s vineyards to biodynamic farming as well.

Organic / Biodynamic

Mas Candí was established in 2006 by four friends—Ramon Jané, Mercè Cuscó, Toni Carbó, and Ana Serra—as one of the early pioneers of estate-grown cava, a rarity in a region still largely controlled by industrial and multinational wine producers. They quickly gained recognition for rejecting chemical additives in both vineyard and cellar, replanting native grape varieties, and embracing the still-emerging Corpinnat designation as a means to challenge the ongoing dominance of industrial winemaking in Penedès. 60% Xarel-lo, 20% Macabeo, 5% Parellada, 15% Sumoll; traditional method. All estate fruit. This is the flagship sparkling wine, always soft and delicate, but with good pithy grip and a salty finish

Organic / Biodynamic

Mas Candí was established in 2006 by four friends—Ramon Jané, Mercè Cuscó, Toni Carbó, and Ana Serra—as one of the early pioneers of estate-grown cava, a rarity in a region still largely controlled by industrial and multinational wine producers. They quickly gained recognition for rejecting chemical additives in both vineyard and cellar, replanting native grape varieties, and embracing the still-emerging Corpinnat designation as a means to challenge the ongoing dominance of industrial winemaking in Penedès.

100% Old Vine Sumoll. 48+ months on the lees. Color: raspberry rose. Aroma: red berry notes, floral, fragrant herbs, hint of anise, wild herbs. Flavor: spicy, good acidity, fresh, fruity. Style: with personality, little interventionist, wild. Color: coppery red. Aroma: neat, faded flowers.fruity, correct, fine bitter notes.

Organic / Biodynamic / Vegan

Josep Mata Capellades founded Cavas Recaredo in 1924, naming the domaine in honor of his father, Recaredo Mata Figueres. Josep Mata Capellades built the cellars in his house, in the historic centre of Sant Sadurní d'Anoia. Parts of the cellars are now over 80 years old and have been conserved in their original form.

Recaredo is a pioneer in the production of totally dry cavas, in working with oak barrels and in longer-aged cavas. Cavas Recaredo is currently managed by Josep and Antoni Mata Casanovas, the sons of its founder, with Ton Mata actively involved and representing the succeeding generation.Recaredo owns forty-six hectares of vineyards in the Alt Penedes district planted primarily to the Xarello, Macabeu and Parellada grape varieties, with smaller amounts of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Monastrell (Mourvedre).

Viticulture at Recaredo is based solely on dry farming; no herbicides or pesticides are used and only organic fertilizers are applied when necessary; grapes are harvested manually; and, production is limited to cavas that are completely dry. The estate strictly follows an organic viticulture regime.Vinification is carried out entirely at the Recaredo cellars in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia. The musts from the oldest Xarello vines ferment in oak barrels, which give structure and greater complexity for longer-aged cavas. Some of the base wine is aged in oak barrels for some months. This wine will be used to add greater finesse and structure to the final blending. At Recaredo, the wines are aged in-bottle in continuous contact with the second fermentation lees; the bottles are closed with 100% natural cork stoppers. Disgorging is carried out on an exclusively manual basis, at the cellars' natural temperature, without freezing the necks of the bottles, a process that produces the most natural product possible. The cavas of Recaredo are disgorged totally dry with a zero dosage and all cuvées are vintage-dated.Effectively, Can Recaredo, as the domaine is known, is a deeply traditional producer of the finest Cavas available in the market. To visit the cellars and observe the process is to return to another time when artisanal, hand-crafted products of the highest quality were the universally accepted standard, the goal that all sought to achieve. Here, in brief form is the Recaredo commitment:Production of single-vintage cavas only.Production of completely dry cavas: “Brut Nature”.Vinification, production and ageing 100% in-house.Ageing in bottle inside our caves, with real cork stoppers.Remuage by hand, in traditional racks.Manual disgorgement without freezing the bottle's neck.