Pepe Raventós is the closest thing Catalonia has to vinous royalty – his lineage stretches back 21 generations and his ancestor invented Cava in 1872. Since his grandfather Josep Maria sold his shares in the family’s historic winery, Codorníu, Pepe and his father Manuel have worked tirelessly to centre themselves at the forefront of the local biodynamic wine movement. A former oenologist and sommelier, with stints working with Loire legend Didier Dagueneau, Olivier Lamy in Burgundy, and at Champagne’s Gaston Chiquet, in 2005 Pepe realised a long-held dream to create his own world-class estate, Can Sumoi. From his tiny ‘Clos del Serral’ vineyard – a 1.92ha parcel of 80+-year-old massale selection Xarel-lo and Bastard Negre, almost akin to Krug’s ‘Clos du Mesnil’ – Pepe produces some of Catalunya’s most exceptional sparkling wines.
