New Vintage Manuel Raventós Negra 2008 Released

Manuel Raventós, winemaker and founder of Raventós i Blanc has created a sparkling wine, his own personal blend that has won many blind tastings against prestigious Champagnes; the Spanish sparkling wine has never been better.

The wine begins its story on an historic estate where vines have been grown since 1497 and where, in 1888, Manuel Raventós Domènech experimented for the first time in Spain with a sparkling wine made only with native varieties (the coupage of the sparkling wine of the Penedès). Every year since 1986, his descendant Manuel Raventós Negra makes his personal selection of the best wines of the vintage from this same historic estate, to decide the coupage of wine that will bear his name.

A sparkling wine, which due to its exceptional character, is bottled only in the most special vintages.

In recent years, the 2007 vintage has been outstanding, winner of many awards and distinctions.

This January 2016, and after eight years in horizontal position, the Manuel Raventós 2008 vintage is being launched on the market, after a long and placid rest.

The secret of the wine-growing year 2008 lies in the fact that this was the first year that our estate was worked only organically; prioritizing nature and the forces of interaction between soil, plant, and man.

So the specific characteristics of our calcareous soils with high content of marine fossils, and the influence of the 2008 vintage are delicately reflected in this signature wine. Baking notes, soft aniseed, a touch of salinity and the characteristic mineral notes that come from our terroir are combined with a wonderful freshness.

The eight years of ageing in horizontal position give it a strong golden colour and a wonderful structure in the mouth, a silky enveloping texture, with a long, bitter finish typical of wines from Conca.

The wines selected for this vintage by Manuel Raventós are the Xarel—lo from the “Clos” plot; Macabeu from “Vinya dels Fòssils” and Parellada from “Creueta”. As always, taking the original coupage of the Penedès, with only native varieties grown on our estate, continuing in the tradition initiated by Manuel Raventós Domènech over 100 years ago.

It was a low, but very good production, optimum for concentrated wines with 3,250 bottles.

www.raventos.com