Daron Watson, one of our private wine consultants, catches up with Pepe Raventos, manager, oenologist and wine grower at Raventos I Blanc. One of the initial families involved with wine in Catalunya and most known for Cava, Pepe discusses the history of the winery as well as the direction they are headed.
Q: How long has your family been making wine at the Raventos I Blanc estate?
A: Since 1497
Q: Would you please briefly explain the Raventos relation to the Codorniu family?
A: My grandfather Josep Maria Raventós i Blanc was partner and winemaker at Codorniu for 40 years, until 1982, when he ended that partnership and started to produce wines from his historical vineyard.
Q: What brought about the switch from production of still wine to a focus on sparkling wine?
A: The innovative spirit of Josep Raventós Fatjó, and the natural conditions of a Valley, Alt Penedès, where you can cultivate Xarel.los at 11 Baumé with 7,5 gr of natural acid and a ph of 2,9.
Since then, we have always been focused on high mineral expression sparklers. Still are just small plots south exposed where some vintages we do not have the perfect conditions for them.
Q: Since that switch, production of Cava seemed to explode and producers like Codorniu and Freixenet became giant corporations. However, what was the vision and decision your grandfather Josep Maria and your father Manuel had and made in the mid 1980s?
A: The dream of the Raventós heirs has always been to produce World Class Wines, not just grow big businesses.
Q: From the beginnings at the estate to the growth of the Cava industry and back to focus at the estate, your family had gone full circle. When you were younger you spent time working with Didier Dagueneau of Pouilly Fume, Olivier Lamy of Saint Aubin, Harald Hexamer in the Nahe and Phillippe Blanc in Alsace. What did you take away from your experiences with those producers and regions?
A: Passion for detail and believe in YOUR place - and its history.
Q: In your commitment to producing terroir driven wines you have commissioned various studies to learn about the geology and microclimates of the estate. You have since divided the estate into 5 areas which in turn have been divided into 46 plots. How has the information you have learned affected which varieties you plant, where they are planted and which wines they end up in?
A: Well, I have not divided the estate, nature has. The objective of the studies is to learn and understand as much as we can about our natural conditions, confirm the ancestral farming traditions in order to support the decisions we make. It is important in our opinion to use the tools that nowadays science offer to innovate. Winemaking is not only about feelings, as they like to say in DRC, this is marketing. Winemaking is a combination of feelings and passion, yes, with science. For example, the last analytics of soils we have done with Olivier Tregoat are helping us a lot in order to decide where to plant Monastrell, Sumoll or Cariñena in our state, all indigenous red grapes from Catalunya that will help us keep innovating in producing the most pure, clean, fresh and powerful dNit we possibly can. Or another example, we need to find the way to help our old Xarel.los be as healthy as possible, and for this reason we have started a masal selection from plants in our cooler and more homogeneous plots of el Serral, from where we are more happy with the results.
Q: Your family was extremely involved in Cava gaining Denominacion de Origen (DO) status with the idea of setting standards of quality for these wines. Ironically, you have recently decided to leave the DO for similar reasons. Would you mind explaining your decision to take a new path and the significance of Conca del Riu Anoia?
A: Conca del Riu Anoia is a concrete geographic place with homogeneous and distinct climate and soil characteristics and a very strong viticulture tradition more than 2000 years old. Our dream is that it one day can become a legally approved DO that regulates and enhances the sparkling wines produced in it, since 1872, competing with the world´s most prestigious.
Q: What is the symbol of Raventos I Blanc and what does it signify?
A: It is a living 500 year old oak tree and it signifies the time we have been producing in the same farm, the same family. Possibly the oldest family "heir" viticulture tradition in the world.
Your family's connection and commitment to the Raventos I Blanc estate is truly inspiring. We wish you the best for generations to come. Salud!
For anyone interested in sampling this winery's extraordinary wines, we highly recommend the 2009 Raventos I Blanc Rose D Nit Cava, one of the greatest values in sparkling wine. The wine offers an amazing price to points ratio - $19.99 with a score of 93 points RP-NM.