Pepe Raventós 'Bastard Negre de les Terrasses del Serral' 2019

“Xarello is the king,” says Pepe Raventós, proudly. After working with the late Loire Valley iconoclast Didier Dagueneau in 2004, Pepe took away the belief that he could elevate a grape not conventionally regarded capable of greatness. 

Pepe is the closest thing Catalonia has to vinous royalty – his ancestor invented Cava in 1872. However, his grandfather, having seen how success had corrupted quality at the family’s historic winery, Codorníu, sold their shares and founded Raventós i Blanc in 1985.

Pepe and his father Manuel have worked tirelessly ever since, placing the domaine at the forefront of the locale’s biodynamic wine movement, farming their 20ha of vines in a way which encompasses every element of the land into one sustainable whole.

‘Bastard Negre de Les Terrasses del Serral’ – from 40-year-old Bastard Negre (Graciano) vines aged in traditional clay pots – is autumnal and savoury, showing spiced fruit and dried flowers.