Spanish wine estate Raventós i Blanc is the story of a family inextricably linked to their land, a winemaking tradition going back over 500 years, proven by ancient documents still held at the estate. The Raventós i Blanc estate, which has belonged to the Raventós family since 1497, covers 300 acres of vineyards, woodlands and a lake in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia. In 2012, the family decided to leave the DO Cava and create their own more strictly defined and geographically specific appellation: Conca del Riu Anoia. It was born to create wines coming from a single estate, a specific climate, native grape varieties and a rigorous, well-defined and respectful form of viticulture, in other words, a faithful reflection of where the wine comes from. Here are some comments from the estate as well as some thoughts from Pepe Raventos on this 2018 harvest :
“The dawn of 20 August witnessed the start of the 2017 harvest on the Raventós i Blanc estate. One month and four days later, on 24 September, it was finished. This year is the year of hope and optimism and a harvest of change and normality in terms of dates. We have returned to the harvests of the past, those that began in late August, moving away from the last one: the earliest one in history. The hustle and bustle of these days cannot be compared to any other time of the year but as Pepe always says, “when you are enthusiastic about your work, convinced about it and working as a team, anything is possible.“
“The first variety harvested was Macabeo from “La Plana” and “La Barbera Jove” with a yield of 6,846 kg/ha. The second was Xarel·lo also from “La Plana” and from “El Llac”, starting on August 25th and with a yield of 4,993 kg/ha. We continue with more strength than ever and are betting on the native varieties that allow us to harvest with a low PH and high acidity, such as Sumoll, Bastard Negre and, of course, the Xarel·lo, which is responding especially well.”
“The harvest of the Clos del Serral plot is one of the most festive days on the estate. It is in fact this small and unique plot of the family farm, with vines planted in 1954 and facing north, where an exceptional sparkling wine was born, the wine that Pepe has always dreamed of making: Mas del Serral The first vintage was in 2007 and we only bottled 2,735 bottles; in order to enjoy the 2018 vintage we will have to wait until 2028 due to its ageing on lees for 100 months. Our commitment is to obtain wines that are a faithful reflection of the plot, the variety and the vintage.”
Watch Pepe Raventos and his father talking about their vision in this FILM
