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B-21 Top Recommendation Read More
For over an astonishing 500 years, the Raventos family has been involved with winemaking in the Catalonia region, growing grapes on their historic family-owned estate west of Barcelona since 1497. Inspired by his belief that the fossilized marine limestone soils in the windswept Anoia River Valley would yield a complex sparkling wine, Josep Raventos Fatjo was the first to apply the traditional method used to make Champagne to classic Penedes grape varietals in the late 1800s, his son Manuel later pioneering the blend of the three indigenous grapes, Xarel.lo, Macabeu, and Parellada, that would become the standard for Cava. Witnessing the decline in the quality and reputation of Cava over the next century, the Raventos family separated itself in the 1980s from the Codorniu winery it had founded to focus on making vineyard-driven sparkling wines from their 90-hectare estate, officially withdrawing from the Cava classification in 2012 and championing the creation of a new D.O. with higher standards in the Conca del Riu Anoia area. Crafting the blend of native grapes from biodynamically farmed vines averaging 40 years of age, 21st generation winemaker Pepe Raventos vinified each varietal in stainless steel tanks before blending and bottling it for the secondary fermentation, then aged the 2021 Raventos i Blanc Blanc de Blancs on the lees for a minimum of 18 months, twice the requirement for Cava, yielding fresh, layered fruit with tantalizing minerality balanced by mouthwatering acidity on a creamy mousse.
Described as “one of Spain’s finest and most complex sparkling wines” by Vinous critic Josh Raynolds, declaring it “one of the greatest bubbly values in the world,” the elegant 90 pt. 2021 Raventos i Blanc Blanc de Blancs is a uniquely Spanish sparkler reflecting its mineral-rich terroir, impeccably crafted in the Champagne style and certain to appeal to lovers of the world’s finest sparkling wines looking for a fantastic value. |
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Pale salmon in color with vivid aromatics of dried peach and fresh strawberry with its typical saline mineral edge. Full-bodied with the vigor, length and finish that Raventos is known for. What a great bargain.
92 points, Bob Sprentall, B-21 Proprietor (Mar 2024)
A firm, focused sparkler, with a pleasingly crisp, lightly chalky texture, this offers a subtle, savory overtone of smoke, stone and grilled herbs and flavors of black cherry, pickled ginger and almond pastry. Fresh finish. Xarel-lo, Macabeo, Parellada and Monastrell. Disgorged March 2023. Drink now through 2026. 17,000 cases made, 9,000 cases imported.
90 points, Alison Napjus, Wine Spectator (Oct 2023)
There is Cava and then there are the wines made by Raventós i Blanc. This unusually elegant pink sparkler gets its super-pale hue from an addition of Monastrell from almost 50-year-old vines; some of the Xarel.lo and Parellada vines that also contribute fruit to this wine are even older. Juicy, peppery cherry on the nose spells immediate freshness, with more berry trailing in its wake. Elegance, saltiness, cherry juice and brightness make this a light-footed, peppery and totally mouthwatering aperitif. Biodynamic.
90 points, Anne Krebiehl, Decanter (Sep 2023)