Raventós is a legendary name in Catalonia with a winegrowing tradition dating back to 1497. The Raventós i Blanc family proudly states that the first Cava made in 1872 by their ancestor Josep Raventós Fatjó came from Xarel.lo grapes grown in their estate. Their trajectory is similar to Codorníu until 1984 when Pepe’s grandfather, Josep María Raventós i Blanc, and father Manuel decided to set up on their own. They built a new winery around an ancient old oak tree in their 90-hectare estate covered with vineyards and forests.
In 2012 Raventós i Blanc abandoned the DO Cava to create a new appellation called Conca del Ríu Anoia governed by more stringent criteria: 100% indigenous grapes, organic or, better yet, biodynamic farming and longer ageing times. Pepe Raventós, 21st generation in the history of Raventós i Blanc, currently manages the estate.
The estate has been divided into 44 plots within seven bigger areas based on different soils and microclimates: Clos del Serral, La Vinya Més ALta, Costers del Serral/Vinya dels Fòssils, Les Barberes/Oliveres, El Llac, La Plana and Travesseres/Gran.
The core principles in Raventós i Blanc are organic or biodynamic wine growing, the use of indigenous varieties from at least 80% of their own vineyards in the Anoia valley, fermentation of all their sparkling wines (always indicating harvest date) and a minimum of 18 months aging. Ancestral farming practices on the vineyard, particularly animal traction, are now back in use.
The winery produces around half a million bottles a year. Their sparkling range starts with two entry-level wines, made from the estate's youngest vines and grapes bought from regular suppliers in the Anoia Valley. The Blanc de Blancs is a traditional blend of Macabeo, Xarel.lo and Parellada with a small amount of Malvasía de Sitges. De Nit is a pale, sparkling rosé that set a new trend in Spain by adding about 7% Monastrell to the existing combination of white grapes. Both wines are aged for at least 18 months and are priced between €16 and €18 in Spain.
The next step includes De la Finca (€25 in Spain), a blend of Macabeo, Xarello and Parellada sourced from Vinya dels Fòssils which is aged for 3 years; and Textures de Pedra (€32), a blanc de noirs that was first released in 2015 and blends Xarel.lo Vermell, Sumoll and the indigenous Bastard Negre which had been previously misidentified as Monastrell. A serious and mineral sparkling wine, Textures de Pedra comes from the highest plot in the estate with distinctive stony soils.
One of the top labels is Manuel Raventós Negra (around €80 in Spain). This extended ageing sparkling wine is the result of Manuel Raventós' personal selection of the best wines of the vintage.
The latest top release is Mas del Serral (around €160 in Spain), Pepe Raventós’s most ambitious sparkling wine so far and the one that reflects his own learning experience. Grapes are sourced from Clos del Serral, a north-facing vineyard surrounded by a forest where grapes tend to ripen two weeks later. Planted in the 1950s with Xarel.lo and Bastard Negre (Graciano), the wine is all about tension. Despite being aged for 100 months, there are no oxidative notes; instead, it still feels young. It offers great cellaring potential.
As the brand Raventós i Blanc is exclusively for sparkling wines since 2012, the still wine business has been reinforced with the purchase of a property in La Juncosa del Montmell (Baix Penedès), whose highest elevation reaches 600 metres. These low-intervention wines are called Can Sumoi, the name of the 400-hectare property, mostly covered by forest and with 20 hectares under vine.
Pepe also markets a new range of natural wines with no additives and sulphur added. Called Vins Pepe Raventós, he makes them in the garage of his house. Grapes are sourced from vineyards planted around the family house, all of which are small plots of vines older than 40 years. Production is very limited.
The range, which totals 10,000 bottles, includes three wines: the white Vinya del Noguer, a 100% Xarel.lo from a vineyard planted next to the garden; Bastard Negre (the local name for Graciano), from El Serral, a terraced vineyard to the west; and Malvasía de Sitges, a high-quality grape variety that has been successfully recovered in Penedès and was planted on the Raventós i Blanc estate in 2018.
All the wines can be bought at the winery’s online store.
