Appellation: DO Penedès.
Cuvée: Xarello.
Colour: White.
Grapes: Xarel-lo.
About: SIN means without in Spanish; the wine is made without chemical products or much intervention in the making. As little as possible is done to make this wine, the grapes are harvested from warmer sited south-west facing vines at the end of August when the acidity is still high, then it’s pressed direct, ferments in just a few days and is bottled as soon as the weather warms up after the winter in March. It’s a whoosh of pure fruit.
Vines
Location: near Sant Marti Sarroca just north west of Vilafranca del Penedès.
Size ha: 3.
Age: vines planted between 1955 and 1975.
Soils: limestone with traces of fossilised oysters.
Exposition: east-west.
Altitude: 300m.
Training: on wire.
Farming: organic (not certified).
Average yield hl/ha: 30.
Climate: Mediterranean.
Winemaking
The hand-picked harvest is slowly and gently pressed by pneumatic press direct to 10,000L stainless steel (inox) tank to ferment. Natural yeasts are used, temperature is not controlled, ferment lasts 28 days. Malolactic fermentation is allowed to take place. The wine stays there for six months un-touched before racking by gravity and bottling without stabilisation, clarification. Sulfites are not added at any stage of the process. The wine is very lightly filtered at bottling.
Vintage Notes 2018
A challenging year with twice the normal annual rainfall, particularly in the Spring.
Yield hl/ha: 25.
Harvested: early September.
Bottles produced: 12,000.
Date bottled: 2019-04.
Alcohol %: 12.12.
SO2 Total: 10; 0 added.
Tasting: a gentle wine with fine, refreshing acidity and vegetal, grassy finish to the pure cool, creamy citrus and stone fruit character.
Vintage Notes 2019
A hot, dry summer followed a wet winter and spring so the wines are both very ripe and reasonably juicy.
Yield hl/ha: 40
Harvested: early September
Bottles produced: 10,000
Date bottled: 2020-05
Alcohol %: 11
SO2 Total: < 20 naturally occurring
Tasting: Easy drinker, fresh, light, clear apple and lemon fruit.