Raventos i Blanc – De Nit 2011

Innovating through the monastrell variety which brings complexity and elegance in colour, maintaining the usual freshness and concentration of our sparklings.

Estate:

The soil on the estate is calcareous and dates from the oldest period of the Penedès valley, some 16 million years ago, when it was still covered by the Mediterranean. The River Anoia has carved out its course, this being the only area of the Penedès region where these soils replete with tropical marine fossils have surfaced.

The vineyards of La Plana, facing north-north-east. Deep calcareous soils of fluvial and lacustrine origin from the Quaternary period, with a clay-rich loamy texture. Very fresh plots where the vines have everything they need to progress well throughout the growing cycle, allowing the grapes to reach the optimal level of ripeness and maintain their acidity through to the harvest. Growth vigour is controlled by spontaneous plant cover. We planted espalier-trained Xarel·lo vines in 1986 and espalier-trainedMacabeo vines in 1990 and 2000, which define the personality of De Nit.

From the La Barbera vineyard on the hillside of El Serral, facing south-east. Deep calcareous soils formed in the Quaternary period with a light loamy texture, low in organic matter. Goblet-trained Parellada vines, planted in 1989, give the wine freshness and elegance.

The Monastrell plot on the lower terraces of the El Serral hillside faces north-west. Shallow calcareous soils formed in the Miocene period with a clayey texture. Low in organic matter. The goblet-trained vines were planted in 1974 using an estate-bred clone.

Vines from other grape-growers: Since 1996, when we were forced to sell part of our estate, we started using the selected plots of other grape-growers. These plots lie along Conca del riu Anoia, in the eastern part of the Penedès region. The soil is calcareous, of fluvial and lacustrine origin from the Quaternary period, with varying textures. These vines are over 40 years old with a balance of the traditional varieties:Macabeu, Xarel·lo and Parellada.

Harvest 2011:

The agricultural year began with a warm autumn and the cold did not arrive until December. As soon as the leaves started to fall
we started pruning. A mild winter brought on early shoots beginning on 15th March (ten days earlier than in 2010) with xarel·lo
and chardonnay. This put us ahead of cycle throughout the entire year.

The spring was wet, with 267 l/m2 of rainfall between March and June. The rain helped to give us a good water reserve in the soil
but it also created optimal conditions for the development of fungal diseases such as mildew, which we had to prevent through
careful work in the vineyard.

Summer started out cool and dry, but 20 l/m2 of rainfall on 30th July gave rise to botrytis in the chardonnay, and we had to carefully select many grapes during harvest. August and September were two very warm (maximum temperatures of over 35 ºC)
and dry months (10 l/m2 of rainfall) which stopped the botrytis attack.

This weather gave rise to very fast ripening. We began the harvest on 10th August with the chardonnay. It was a very healthy and high-quality harvest and by choosing well our harvest date, we avoided overripening, thus maintaining a very good balance in our wines and cavas.

We had little rainfall during the year with 491 l/m2 (the average rainfall in the past ten years has been 526 l/m2), although it was
well spread out over the vegetative cycle and the average temperature was 15ºC , the same as the average over the past ten years.

43% Macabeu harvested from 25th of August.
33% Xarel·lo harvested from 31st of August.
19% Parellada harvested from13th of September.
5% Monastrell harvested from14th of September.

Vinification:

Eco-friendly viticulture in the transformation to Biodynamic agriculture. We leave spontaneous plant coverage between the rows of vines to give added biodiversity, fertility and life to the soil. We apply composted manure in the winter. Short pruning on the bush, leaving an average of 12 buds per vine.

Preventive work in spring involving close observation and green pruning to get rid of suckers, adult leaves and shoots that use up
energy and create a damp microclimate. We ensure the grapes are not exposed to sunlight to prevent the skins from burning.
Minimal use, if necessary, of natural plant protection products, using sulphur salts to prevent oidium and copper salts against
mildew. The Lobesia botrana pest is controlled using sexual confusion techniques. Cluster sampling and ripeness controls before
harvesting.

Manual harvesting with small trailers. Handpicked and quickly transferred to the presses by gravity. Controlled atmosphere at each stage with dry ice. Slow pressing at low pressure, blending the qualities of the must. Static sedimentation at low temperatures and first alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature. Coupage (blending), second fermentation in the bottle and a minimum of 15 month’s ageing in stacks. Disgorging date stated on the back label.

Shared by Susana Portabella