De la Finca 2022

2022

A warm, dry year, with very healthy grapes.

A warm year, with a strong drought, which brought us very low yields and very healthy grapes, due to the low fungal pressure. A year in which drought has been the protagonist of the viticultural cycle (357 mm of rainfall, when the average is 520 mm). This meant that the grapes did not develop as well as in other years and the plant did not produce as much fruit due to the lack of water, resulting in losses of approximately 20%. The plots with the most hours of sunshine were the hardest hit. Extreme years give us very concentrated grapes that maintain a very good acidity balance: very high acidity at ripening.

Early harvest due to the long heat wave. Production down over 20%, but very healthy grapes.

MACABEU, XAREL·LO AND PARELLADA
The plants on the Vinya dels Fòssils vineyard come from the massal selection performed by Manuel Raventós Domènech in 1888. Creator of the Penedès sparkling wine formula by combining the three native grape varieties, Macabeu, Xarel·lo and Parellada, Manuel Raventós also experimented by planting small separate plots. He took cuttings from the vines that produced the best grapes and used them to create new plantations.

 Xarel·lo: Goblet-trained vines since 1964 and Espalier-trained vines since 2002.

 Macabeu: Espalier-trained vines since 1994.

Parellada:  Goblet-trained vines planted in 1994.

HIGH SALINE EXPRESSION
Situated on the highest terraces of the River Anoia, the Vinya dels Fòssils vineyard has marine soils with a high fossil content. This characterises the structure and the soil composition of this vineyard. The carbonates are the component that provides the main source of typicity to this sparkling wine with a high saline expression. It is a sparkling wine with a unique identity and personality.

Biodynamic viticulture. Vineyards with spontaneous plant cover, which fosters biodiversity, fertility and life in the soil. We apply manure that comes from our animals and is composted during the winter. We adopt the gobelet short pruning system. Plant infusions are used as phytotherapy to minimise the use of copper and sulphur. The European grapevine moth (Lobesia botrana) is controlled by sexual confusion. Control of berries and ripening before the harvest. Manual harvest.

Gravity-led grape reception system at the winery. At each stage, the atmosphere is controlled with dry ice. Slow, lowpressure pressing. Static settling at low temperatures. First fermentation in stainless steel vats at a controlled temperature, separating varieties and soil types, blending, second fermentation in the bottle and minimum ageing of 30 months with the lees in the bottles. We do not add expedition liquor. The disgorging date is indicated on the back label.