2023 Xarel·lo de la Vinya del Noguer Alt, Vins Pepe Raventós

• Style: Mineral, saline still white
• Taste: Grapefruit, pear, anise, Mediterranean herb, smoke
• Food: Shellfish, white fish, salty cheese, Asian dishes
• Critic: Guia Penín 92
• Occasion: Aperitivo, date night, contemplative sipping
• Serve: Chilled, 8–10°C

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

Bright grapefruit and pear cut through with anise and Mediterranean herb notes, finishing with a whisper of smoke. The palate carries real tension: fine acidity and eight months on lees build texture and grip, while mineral character and saline snap speak plainly of poor clay-limestone soils. At 12% ABV, bottled without sulphur, fining, or filtration, this is transparent winemaking — the vineyard unmediated.

The Winery — Vins Pepe Raventós

Pepe Raventós's separate garage project pursues singular purity through micro-vinification. The Vinya del Noguer Alt — a south-facing plot planted in 1970 — yielded concentrated grapes in 2023 after Penedès's third warm, dry season. Fermentation was slow and deliberate in French oak and amphorae, with each vineyard handled alone using ancestral farming and traditional cellar work. This philosophy of minimal intervention allows each site to express its character with uncompromised honesty.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

Pair with shellfish, grilled white fish with herb butter, or salty cheeses like Manchego. The structure and saline character also shine alongside lighter Asian cuisine and poultry dishes. Chill to 8–10°C and serve as an aperitivo or for unhurried contemplative drinking. Within our Fruity & Aromatic White Wine collection, this Xarel·lo sits at the mineral, introspective end — a thinking drinker's white made with conviction and restraint. Explore it alongside the wider Spain selection to discover why Catalonia's signature high-toned white remains ageworthy and full of personality.

Explore the cellar: Xarel·lo · Fruity & Aromatic White Wine · Spain