Wine production at Raventos i Blanc started in 1497 when the estate was founded in Sant Sadurni d'Anoia. This date has been authenticated by documents at the estate and recognized by the Spanish Government. The first Cava in Spain was produced here in 1872 by Josep Raventos Fatjo. The estate as it is now, was founded in 1984 by Josep-Maria Raventos, a member of the Codorníu family. He wished to create a small, quality-oriented winery that would stand apart from the large co-ops in the area. Today Raventos owns about 300 acres of vineyards planted mostly to local varieties such as Macabeo (Viura), Xarel-lo and Parellada.
When we visited the estate in July, Pepe Raventos, Joesp-Maria's grandson described the philosophy of the winery to be "completely terrior driven". Pepe has moved forward with a geological and climactic survey of the entire property which has revealed 44 individual parcels which will be managed separately.
Pepe worked with Didier Daganau in the Loire, Harold Hexamer in Nahe and Phillippe Blanc in Alsace before returning to his family's winery in the Penedes in 2001, giving him perspective and insight into his own estate. "We have great red wine from many regions. For sparkling wine we always think of Champagne; maybe the world would like to taste another interpretation". It is this sort of pioneering mentality, so focused on quality that has skyrocketed Raventos to the top of its category, served in 3 star Michelin restaurants like El Bulli and Arzak.
The soils at the estate are unique; the sedimentary calcareous soils were deposited during the Miocene period when the area was under the sea. At different altitudes the soils change, but the "mother rock" is all deep sedimentary limestone. At the very highest point, limestone and chalk soils are exposed, and this parcel is planted to Pinot Noir sourced from the Margaine estate in the Montagne de Reims.
As with all wines at the Raventos estate, The L'Hereu Reserva and the L'Hereu d'Nit Reserva Rosado are sourced entirely from estate grown fruit, all from a single vintage and aged for a minimum of 2 years.
The oldest vineyard, the Clos del Serral planted slightly lower is dominated by Galera, a compact clay. The vines here are 80 years old and are bottled as a single parcel wine, Manuel Raventos Gran Reserva.
The grapes are biodynamically farmed and certified by the Integrated Production Council (CCPI).
Farming Practice:Certified Organic
Winemaker Notes A pale, subdued and elegant pink color with clean, pure and almost crystalline aromas of light citrus, red flowers, white fruit, and a touch
Wine Advocate 92 "The very pale sparkling rosé 2016 De Nit is a blend of Xarello, Macabeo, Parellada and around 5% Monastrell—so, it's not a bleeding
Wine Advocate 90 "Talking about the wines, let’s start with the 2011 L'Hereu Brut, a blend of Macabeo, Xarello and Parellada from their own vineyards and
Wine Advocate 89 "The pale pink 2014 De Nit is a blend of 37% each Macabeo and Xarello with 18% Parellada and some 7% of red
Wine Information: -40% Macabeo, 40% Xarel.lo and 20% Parellada -30+ year old vines -Methode Champenoise -Vinification in stainless steel tanks -Blending and secondary fermentation in bottle
Wine Advocate 92 "The 2013 Silencis is pure Xarello from a cold vintage harvested on September 25, which is the date when Xarello used to be
Wine Advocate 90 "The 2011 De Nit is a blend of Macabeo, Xarello, Parellada and Monastrell (only a small percentage, around 5%) partly from their
Wine Advocate 90 "The 2009 Reserva Brut is a blend of classic Cava varieties (40% Macabeu, 40% Xarello and 20% Parellada) from 20- to 40-year-old vines
Robert Parker 93 "The outstanding 2009 De Nit (rose) has an almost hypnotic, perfect pale hue that is worth the price alone! A blend of classic
Robert Parker 90 "The latest releases include the 2008 L'Hereu. It offers up an expressive minerality along with notions of brioche, spring flowers, and white fruits.
Wine Enthusiast 91 "There are few rosé Cavas out there that register this high on the quality meter. This elegant number opens with aromas of wood
Wine Enthusiast 88 "The stalky, yeasty aromas on this sparkler are typical for Cava. The mouthfeel is big and a touch flabby, with wheaty, stalky
55% Macabeo, 30% Xarel.lo, 10% Parellada and 5% Monastrell -Methode Champenoise -Vinification in stainless steel tanks -Blending and secondary fermentation in bottle -aged for a
Wine Advocate 91 "The 2013 De Nit is a blend of the three classical white grapes from the region, Macabeo, Xarello, Parellada and a pinch (5%)
Wine & Spirits 93 "Pepe Raventós farms his vineyards with biodynamic practices, blending this from macabeo (45%, the vines planted in 1999), xarel-lo (40%, the vines
Wine Advocate 91 "The 2014 Extrem is a pure Xarello with as little sulfur as possible. The original idea was to do it without any added
Wine & Spirits 93 "Pepe Raventós farms his vineyards with biodynamic practices, blending this from macabeo (45 percent, the vines planted in 1999), xarello (40 percent,
Wine Advocate 90 "The 2015 Blanc de Blancs, the wine that replaced the old L'Hereu, was produced with fruit from different organic and biodynamic plots within
Wine Advocate 91 "The ultra pale sparkling rosé 2015 De Nit is a blend of 40% Xarello, 36% Macabeo, 18% Parellada and 6% Monastrell from their
Wine Advocate 91 "Pepe Raventós told me that 2016 is the surprise vintage and one of his favorite, when the vines produced tiny grapes after two
The Wine L'Hereu is the "premier," the finest symbol of how we like to work complexity in varieties and soils, with Macabeu as the structural base.
End of item list
