Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesThey look for a more classical expression in the 2019 De la Finca, a selection of vineyards by Pepe Raventós's grandfather, produced in a slightly more oxidative style and aged for 30+ months with lees. 2019 was a very good and "normal" vintage, with good rain, normal yields and a paused harvest. This has more smokiness from the contact with the yeasts and lees with very fine bubbles, subtle, defined by how they prepare the second fermentation in bottle and then the aging in the bottle.
Pepe Raventós is the 21st generation of the most exciting Spanish Sparkling producers, Raventós i Blanc.
With a documented history of viticulture back to 1497, officially creating the first sparkling wine in Spain in 1872 by Josep Raventós i Fatjó, the Raven- tós family are one of the best sparkling wine produ- cers in the country.
Pepe Raventós, of the current generation, is a dy- namic and forward-thinking man and honed his expertise with internships alongside the late, great Didier Dageneau in the Loire and Domaine Hubert Lamy in Burgundy, before returning to the family domaine to produce exceptional sparkling wines from their biodynamic, fossil-rich terroir.
In 2012, Raventos i Blanc withdrew from the Cava DO to initiate a new, terroir driven appellation, Conca del Riu Anoia, due to a desire to set a stan- dard in high quality wine production, where rules such as the use of only indigenous grapes, ecologi- cal viticulture (100% Biodynamic), estate-produced and estate-bottled fruit and minimum of 18 months of ageing requirements, apply.
Known for bold reds, crisp whites, easy-drinking rosés, distinctive sparkling, and fortified wines, Spain has embraced international varieties and wine styles while continuing to place primary emphasis on its own native grapes. Though the country’s climate is diverse, it is generally hot and dry. In the center of the country lies a vast, arid plateau known as the Meseta Central, characterized by extremely hot summers and frequent drought.
Rioja is Spain’s best-known region, where earthy, age-worthy Spanish reds are made from Tempranillo and Garnacha (Grenache). Rioja also produces rich, nutty whites from the local Viura grape.
Ribera del Duero is gaining ground for Spanish wines with its single varietal Tempranillo wines, recognized for their concentration of fruit and opulence. Priorat, a sub-region of Catalonia, specializes in bold, full-bodied Spanish red wine blends of Garnacha (Grenache), Cariñena (Carignan), and often Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Catalonia is also home to Cava, a Spanish sparkling wine made in the traditional method but from indigenous varieties. In the cool, damp northwest Spanish wine region of Galicia, refreshing Spanish white Albariño and Verdejo dominate.
Sherry, Spain’s famous fortified wine, is produced in a wide range of styles from dry to lusciously sweet at the country’s southern tip in Jerez.
Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.