2020 Bodega Clandestina Blanc sense papers

VARIETAL: Xarel·lo
REGION: Catalunya, SP
VITICULTURE: Organic/Biodynamic
WINEMAKER: Ferran Lacruz Bosch

100% Xarel·lo from the Fassina vineyard (55 years old) in Sant Sebastià dels Gorgs - and this year he decided to incorporate grapes from the Molinet vineyard (61 years old), also located in Sant Sebastià. Three separate harvests were completed in August and September, each approximately a week apart. The first two aged in demijohn for 6 months, and the 3rd in 400 and 500L barrels for 6 months before blending. Zero added sulfites.

Yellow colour. Creamy nose of nectarines, yellow plums, butter and pastry. Very clean with a gentle reduction, reminiscent of minerality. Slightly flinty, and rich with restraint. Fresh in the mouth – textural, with juicy notes of nectarine, a touch of citrus, salt, and apple. Acidity is medium. The finish is long and detailed. Freshly squeezed apple and lemon notes linger. Really well balanced, a great expression – a food wine that is extremely well made. Stayed absolutely fine for 4 or 5 days, no issue. Seems to improve.

Ferran Lacruz Bosch is a talented young winemaker, who is fairly new on the scene. With only a few vintages under his belt, he is already making intriguing wines of superb quality. In and around his small village – Sant Martí Sarroca, in the Penedès wine region - he farms 8ha of old vines organically, using some biodynamic preparations. Here you will find Xarel·lo, Carignan Blanc and Malvasia. The vines are 300-350M above sea level, and grow on poor soils made up of clay and limestone. The majority of growers here sell their grapes for mass production wines, and so when Ferran said he wanted to make his own wine, everyone thought he was crazy. They told him it was a bad idea and that it wouldn’t work. These days, everyone in the local villages want ‘the wines of Ferran’ – but unfortunately they are sold out, tightly allocated across the globe.

As most of the grapes grown here go towards mass produced wines, Ferran has chosen not to be boxed in, and not to be part of any appellation, origin or regulation. He wants to make original, honest natural wines – as clean as possible – and to showcase the heights of what can be produced in this region. He feels there is so much potential here - and he is not wrong - his wines really are quite striking.

Ferran harvests by hand, collecting the grapes in 18kg crates. In some instances, he revisits the same parcel over 3 separate occasions, to pick grapes at different maturity levels. He then vinifies these harvests separately, to harness the different components of freshness, maturity and structure – before blending to create a well-rounded, balanced and precise wine. He ages his wines in a mix of barrels, amphore and demijohns. He doesn’t fine or filter, and doesn’t add anything to the wines – no sulphites at any stage. He is not opposed to sulphites, but will only use them if he sees it as absolutely necessary. The final products are salty, gastronomic wines of extremely high quality. Very stable and reliable too. Get them on your radar!