Mas Candí

Biodynamic. The Blanc de Noirs of Mas Candí’s traditional method lineup. 50% Xarel.lo, 50% Sumoll. Fruit comes from one old single vineyard. This wine is always a bit more fruited and reminds us of Champagnes made with Pinot Noir, with lots of finesse, but still the region’s characteristic saltiness. All fruit is always hand-harvested. Traditional method, Brut Nature. Direct press, fermentation in stainless steel. Aged on lees in bottle for 72 months, disgorged June ‘21.

Biodynamic. Rosado. 100% old vine Sumoll. Limestone soil. 48+ months on the lees. Zero dosage.

Biodynamic. 100% Xarel.lo; traditional method, Brut Nature. ‘Segunyola’ is one of the ancient names of the village of Les Gunyoles, where Mas Candí is based. This Corpinnat is perhaps their most elevated, like a Blanc de Blancs, with selections of special vineyards of Xarel.lo—estate vineyards 65 years of age, hand-planted by the vignerons’ grandparents. Fruit is always hand-harvested. Direct press, fermentation in stainless steel tank. Aged on lees in bottle for 50 months, disgorged June ’21.

Biodynamic. 60% Xarel.lo, 20% Macabeo, 5% Parellada, 15% Sumoll; traditional method. All estate fruit. This is the flagship sparkling wine, always soft and delicate, but with good pithy grip and a salty finish. A bit of a Platonic ideal for traditional method sparkling in the Penedès. Fruit is always hand-harvested. Direct press, fermentation and resting in stainless steel. 32 months on lees in bottle, disgorged June ’21.

Biodynamic. 56 year-old bush-trained Xarel.lo, limestone @ 300 m. The Xarello for Desig grows on a limestone ridge overlooking Sant Sadurní d’Anoia which is blasted by cold winds, resulting in a long growing season. Picked, pressed, and given 24 hours of skin-contact before spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel. Aged for 7 months on the fine lees in stainless steel. 580 cs produced

Biodynamic. 100% Xarel.lo. Sourced from the La Pura vineyard in Mas Candí’s home of Les Gunyoles d’Avinyonet, a village situated within the Massís del Garraf, the western Penedès’ coastal, calcareous mountain range. La Pura’s 55-year-old vines are planted on rich limestone soil with ancient marine fossils–the seabed having been raised up in certain pockets of the Penedès to the earth’s surface, rendering an intense minerality comparable to that of Chablis. Hand-harvested, pressed, and given 24 hours of skin contact before spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel, then aged for seven months on the fine lees, also in stainless. Unfined, unfiltered, 20-30ppm SO2 added before bottling. Mas Candí’s most majestic bottling of old-vines, single-vineyard Xarel.lo, a white intended to demonstrate the ancient oceanic terroir of the subregion as well as the age-worthiness of Xarel.lo.

Biodynamic. Old-vine Xarel.lo, limestone @ 300 m. The Xarel.lo for QX comes from 4 parcels they’ve picked out as being of particularly high quality. Picked, pressed, and given 12 hours of skin contact before spontaneous fermentation. Aged on fine lees primarily in amphora as well as several 500 liter neutral barrels.

Biodynamic. 90% Xarel.lo, 10% Malvasia di Sitges. Taken from an intensely sloped, mountaintop single vineyard in the Massís del Garraf, the western Penedès’ coastal, calcareous mountain range, which is largely designated as national forest. The soils on the mountaintop vineyard are calcareous clay; the vineyard itself is comprised of old stone terraces, initially put in place by farmers all over the Garraf in the pre-phylloxera years of the Penedès (1850s-1880s). Nearly a century later, one of the massive forest fires the Garraf massif suffered during the ’80s exposed the ancient stone wall structures throughout the region, inspiring a few families to attempt to re-establish this old Catalan mountain viticulture. The stone walls and vineyard were recuperated and replanted slowly by proprietor Xavier Ribes in 2004, with whom Ramón and Toni of Mas Candí partnered in 2018 to lease a solid piece of this extraordinary terraced vineyard and assist Ribes with the holistic farming of the same. The varieties are co-fermented in stainless steel, with half of the fruit done whole-cluster; the wine is then moved to 500L used barrels for élevage. (The demi-muids used previously have had Mas Candí white wines aging inside.) Unfined, unfiltered; 20-30ppm SO2 applied at bottling.

“Biodynamic. 100% Monastrell. Taken from an intensely steep, ampitheater single vineyard at the top of a mountain in the Massís del Garraf. (The Massís del Garraf is the western Penedès’ coastal, calcareous mountain range, largely designated as national forest.) The soils on this south-facing, dramatic ampitheater are calcareous clay; the vineyard itself is entirely composed of old stone terraces, initially put in place by farmers all over the Garraf in the pre-phylloxera years of the Penedès (1850s-1880s). Nearly a century later, one of the massive forest fires the Garraf massif suffered during the ’80s exposed the ancient stone wall structures throughout the region, inspiring a few families to attempt to re-establish this old Catalan mountain viticulture. The stone walls of this vineyard were recuperated and replanted slowly by proprietor Xavier Ribes in 2004, with whom Ramón and Toni of Mas Candí partnered in 2018 to lease just under a hectare of this extraordinary site. Now Toni and Ramón assist Ribes with the terrace maintenance and holistic farming of their hectare of the Montombra ampitheater. The Monastrell/Mataró is done 2/3 whole-cluster, 1/3 destemmed, with hand and foot-pressing of some of the fruit for gentle extraction, as well as to encourage partial carbonic maceration. After seven days on the skins in stainless, it’s pressed off into 500L used barrels for 9-10 months’ élevage. (The demi-muids used previously have had other Mas Candí white wines aging inside.) Unfined, unfiltered; 20-30ppm SO2 applied at bottling.

“