A Historic Terroir for Spanish Sparkling

The Raventós i Blanc family has been growing grapes at its estate in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia since 1497. The name of that estate, Can Codorniu, has been tied to Spanish sparkling wine since 1872, when Josep Raventós Fatjó returned from France and started creating wines in the manner of Champagne. The family played an important role in the founding of the Cava DO, and remained integral to its development until 2012. Since then, Manuel Raventós and his son Pepe have bottled their wines under the regional appellation, Conca del Riu Anoia. They focus on vintage wines from their 300 acres of land in the Anoia River Valley. Their Textures de Pedra wines come from the Més Alta vineyard, a stony site rising to 820 feet in altitude, where they grow the pink-skinned xarel-lo vermell, along with two reds, bastard negre and sumoll—using a selection of the three grapes immediately pressed off the skins. We recommended both the 2013 and 2014 vintages: Presented in a Brut Nature style, these are bold sparklers, with a silky roundness that comes from the 42 months they spent aging on lees. The 2013 has a lively lemon freshness that brightens its rich undertones of mango and papaya. The 2014 is charming in its honeyed texture and its passion fruit flavor. It also has a pithy lemony acidity that carries it toward notes of hazelnut and almond skin, with a lift of springtime herbs. Give either one of these a swirl in a white wine glass—or a splash in a decanter—to bring the fruit forward, then serve them with a cheese plate.

Every week, our editors highlight a wine that intrigued them in our blind panel tastings, expanding on their tasting note in this space. These are entirely editorial choices; there are no paid placements. Subscribers can also access the original tasting note by searching here.

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