Winemaker Notes
100% Xarel-lo fermented with indigenous yeasts in tank. Twice-weekly batonnage for a further 3 months in tank before bottling. No additives; unfined and unfiltered.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Produced with Xarello grapes grown in the Can Sumoi property, the 2017 Xarel.lo had an intense nose of fennel, aniseed and other Mediterranean herbs, with some balsamic and waxy apple aromas, still very young and undeveloped, with an electric and clean palate. It's clear and was filtered before bottling, but no additives or sulfur were added. The palate revealed a lot of acidity and a very tasty, almost salty finish. There are some 20,000 bottles of this. It was bottled in January 2018. The wine is clean and harmonious, it didn't seem to have suffered from the bottling.
Primarily associated with the Penedès region of Spain, Xarel-lo plays an important role in most Cava blends along with Parellada and Macabeo. Prized for its high levels of acidity and polyphenols, Xarel-lo adds strength, body and a distinct greengage or earthy character to these blends. Somm Secret—Just a few miles northeast of Barcelona, Xarel-lo vineyards around the town of Alella produce highly regarded still wines with fresh lemon and stone fruit flavors.
A superior source of white grapes for the production of Spain’s prized sparkling wine, Cava, the Penedes region is part of Catalunya and sits just south of Barcelona. Medio Penedès is the most productive source of the Cava grapes, Macabeo, Xarel-lo, and Parellada. Penedes also grows Garnacha and Tempranillo (here called Ull de Llebre in Catalan), for high quality reds and rosès.