Raventós i Blanc Blanc de Blancs Brut, Conca del Riu Anoia, Spain 2022

Raventós i Blanc 2020 Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut, Conca del Riu Anoia, Spain

• Winemakers: Manuel and Pepe Raventós
• Grapes:  40% Xarel-lo, 39% Macabeu, 15% Parellada, and 6 % Malvasia de Sitges from the Vinya del Llac
• Farming: Certified Organic, practicing biodynamic
• Terroir: From the plots La Barbera, La Plana and El Viader  which have deep calcareous soils with a sand-rich loamy texture giving  freshness and elegance and El Llac, a 40-year-old plot with marine fossils providing structure and complexity.  Biodynamic viticulture.  
• Vinification: Made in the traditional method. Secondary fermentation in bottle
  18-month sur-lie aging before disgorgement
• Tasting Notes: "Elegant citrus and white flower aromas, with a persistent, lively mousse. Fresh green apple, melon, chamomile, and mineral notes evolve into orange blossom and violets, then sherbet, lemon curd and earthy flavours. Youthful, precise, with hidden depths, with a vanilla, strawberry, citrus, and greengage finish." -Decanter
• Critical Acclaim:
  • Decanter 93
  • Vinous 91
  • Wine Advocate 92

Wine Club Notes: October 2020

One of the oldest continuous family-run farms in Spain, Raventos i Blanc has been in operation in the Cava region since 1497...yes, FOURTEEN ninety-seven. In 1872, Josep Raventós Fatjó produced the first Cava sparkling wine on record, a zinger made from the indigenous Xarel.lo, Macabeo & Parellada grapes. Since then, the father and son team of Manuel and Pepe Raventós (Josep-Maria’s son and grandson) have carried on and grown the tradition of sparkling wine from the Penedes region. Pepe, who passionately made the move to biodynamics when taking over in the 90s, was so dismayed by the over-industrialization of the Cava appellation, that in 2012, that he lead the movement to classify Conca del Riu Anoia as a new and separate appellation based on the unique, complex soils of the local area. That’s why we don’t call this wine a Cava anymore- it is much more distinct- a region of sparkling Spanish wine all its own.

Made in the traditional method, this mineral-driven, low-dosage wine undergoes two fermentations—the first in stainless steel and the second in bottle, aged for at least 18 months. Although lean and minerally, this Extra-Brut brims with structure length and creaminess. Notes of green apple skin, wet chalk, and gooseberry, compactly layered with  small, vigorous bubbles and nutty finish, relate the powerful terroir of Conca del Riu Anoia, a unique and magical place in the realm of sparkling wine.

Classic pairings for sparkling wines here include grilled white asparagus in olive oil, artichoke and pea salad with mint, aged goat or sheep milk cheeses, jeweled rice and biryani, and anything in a creamy sauce that the acidity can cut straight through.