Manuel Raventós Negra 2018

2018

Rainy and wet vintage. A harvest of medium production, with good sugar and acidity balances.

The 2018 vintage began with a drier and colder autumn than usual. With the arrival of winter, the rain also came. During the winter months, it rained 216 mm (the average of the last 25 years is less than 100 mm). Due to this cold period, the sprouting was late.

Spring continued to be very rainy; it rained 212 mm, which caused the recovery of the plant, a good vegetative growth and an abundance of fungi, especially mildew. Precisely at the time of flowering, the most sensitive period for mildew and oidium, it rained every day. Working with phytotherapy, biological control and very low doses of copper we managed to control the fungi.

In August, we had the highest historical temperatures on the estate, reaching 40 °C on 4 August, which caused the cycle to advance a day or so. During the harvest the temperature was rather cool, and we had four days of rain. We made a very rigorous selection of grapes in the vineyard.

During the whole agricultural year, it rained 654.9 mm (the average over the last 20 years is 517.8 mm and the average of the last three years of drought is 387.8 mm). The average temperature was 15.2 °C, similar to the average of the last 20 years.

A harvest of quality. Concentrated, round and good acidity wines.

PERSONAL COUPAGE
Manuel Raventós Negra, descendent de Josep Maria Raventós i Blanc is the personal selection Manuel Raventós makes of the best wines of the vintage. It is his personal coupage. A signature sparkling wine. For lovers of fresh wines with acidity, structure and volume, tense on the palate, with fine bubbles and aromas of toast and butter. A golden colour.

A sparkling wine that, due to its exceptional character, is only bottled in the most exceptional vintages.

Blend: 70% Xarel·lo, 30% Macabeu

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.

The six years of ageing in stacks give it a bright gold colour and a marvellous structure on the palate, as well as an enveloping silky texture with a long, bitter finish typical of wines from the Conca del Riu Anoia.

The wines that Manuel Raventós selected for this vintage was Macabeu and Xarel·lo from diferents parcels; the varieties that allows the long ageing of our sparkling wines, due to its good agricultural performance and its aromatic and taste potential.