Blanc de Blancs

2023

Blanc de Blancs is a sparkling wine marked by the typicity of its place of origin, the Vinya del Llac, a vineyard over 40 years’ old, which allows us to obtain a structured, fresh and complex sparkling wine.

Three native white grape varieties

The Vinya del Llac is a vineyard that faces north. The clay soils release water slowly throughout the vegetative cycle and, deep beneath the surface, we find calcareous bedrock with incrusted pebbles, which limit the water reserve, giving the grapes in this flagship plot more structure. The influence of the lake in this symbolic vineyard moderates the climatic conditions, avoids heatwaves and favours long ripening. It is a Blanc de Blancs due to its three native white grape varieties: Macabeu, Xarel·lo and Parellada.

The great novelty this year is the incorporation of the Malvasia de Sitges in the Blanc de Blancs blend.

The Malvasia de Sitges is a variety that has almost disappeared and which we have recovered from our estate. With 1.5 Ha in our La Plana vineyard. Thus, in order to continue innovating with our sparkling wines, we decided to incorporate the Malvasia de Sitges to the Blanc de Blancs, a variety that is complicated in viticulture but a jewel in winemaking, since it has a very high natural acidity, thus, it acts as a natural acidifying, it also gives us volume, it has good ripening and is intensely and aromatically complex.

We present a Blanc de Blancs with 5% Malvasia from Sitges, and the rest with the traditional native varieties; Macabeu, Xarel-lo and Parellada.

2023 harvest

Drought and grape quality are the main protagonists.

From October 1, 2022 to the end of the harvest, 232 mm of water have been recorded, although the average figure for the last decade is 500 mm. Also noteworthy is the increase in temperature, which is 16ºC, 0.8ºC higher than the average of the last ten years. The result is a three-year period of drought with consequences for the entire crop, which has led to a reduction in the harvest of between 40% and 60% in the estate. Xarel-lo and Sumoll, varieties native to the Penedès, are the ones that have best withstood the high temperatures and lack of water. On the other hand, varieties such as Parellada and Macabeo are suffering more from the drought and the harvest has been reduced by up to 60% compared to 2022. This vintage may remind us of 2016, which was very dry, with great health and grapes with very concentrated sugars and acidity.

Extremely dry vintage and great grape quality. The earliest harvest ever held at the estate.

Interactive map of
Blanc de Blancs
2023

Xarel·loHarvested after 18th of August. Goblet and Espalier-trained vines between 1974 and 1990.

Macabeu

Harvested after 15th of August. Goblet and Espalier-trained vines between 1982 and 2000.

ParelladaHarvested after 7th of September. Goblet-trained vines between 1969 and 1989.

Xarel·lo

Native variety that is planted on 50% of the entire estate. It is the first to bud, has the longest cycle of all our varieties, and at the harvest has the best sugar-acidity-intensity balance. It is our seal of identity, the variety that allows the long ageing of our sparkling wines, due to its good agricultural performance and its aromatic and taste potential.

Macabeu

Delicate, very versatile variety that needs extremely precise winegrowing in order to achieve the best expression. With a short cycle, it is the first variety to be harvested on the estate. Depending on its location on the estate, this same variety can produce two totally different expressions due to the orientation, the soil and the plant material.

Parellada

Moderately vigorous, rustic but at the same time sensitive to rain during the ripening period. The white harvest always ends with this variety. Native variety well-adapted to the high parts of the Penedès. The Parellada on our estate gives a touch of delicacy to our sparkling wines.