Raventos, Pepe 2022 Xarel-lo 'Vinya del Noguer'

The Vinya del Noguer Xarel-lo is the first wine Pepe made without any addition of SO2, and paved the way for the Vins Pepe Raventos project. The vineyard is 2 hectares of Xarel-lo that were planted in goblet style in 1970 on clay and limestone soils. Pepe works the vineyard by hand (and with the help of his horse), treating it like a garden, with biodynamic approach and without the use of any machines. Grapes for the 2022 fermented with native yeast (as always) in a combination of large French barrels and clay amphoras. Aging was for 8 months on the lees, and the wine was bottled without filtration or stabilization, and without any addition of sulfites. It was aged an additional 9 months in bottle before release. This fascinating and layered Xarel-lo has a long mineral core and leesy, slightly dense texture in the mid-palate. The interplay of weight and cut is perfect, reminding a bit of a Chablis meeting a Mediterranean white.