Raventos i Blanc Mas del Serral 2010 Penedes Catalunya

The Clos del Serral plot is 1.92 hectares, located in Sant Sadurni d'Anoia in Catalunya and farmed entirely by biodynamic methods. It contains the oldest xarel-lo vines on the Raventos estate, around 70 to 80 years of age, planted on fossil rich soils. Here, Pepe Raventos aims to make the best sparkling wine in Spain from this singular plot, using local Catalan varieties. As far as we are concerned, it is among the best, if not the best sparkling wines outside Champagne, certainly on a level with the very best wines of Gramona and Recaredo.

Mas del Serral 2010 shows tremendous intensity and verve in the glass, with a powerful, smoky personality that delivers flavours of minerals and salt, cashew and sesame alongside roasted quince and honey and the deep savouriness of xarel-lo. It evolves beautifully in the glass, showing delicate notes of mushroom as it gains richness and opulence towards the bone-dry finish. No dosage is added. This is a game-changing wine for the Raventos farm, a project that Pepe and Francesc Escala have been working hard on for over a decade, and a new benchmark for fine sparkling wines from Spain, described by one critic as "a masterwork".