With an annual output of 40,000 bottles, most of them sparkling wines, this producer is the equivalent of a grower Champagne in Catalonia. Xavier Bernet and his partner Cristina decided to stop selling grapes from the family vineyards to a big local cooperative and set up on their own. “It wasn’t worth the money. We barely manage to to pick 1,800 kg of grapes in one morning,” Xavier explains. Their first sparkling wines were released in 2005.
Xavier and Cristina only rely on their own grapes. The grow seven hectares divided in small plots on the hills of the Ordal mountains, which are the natural continuation of the Garraf Massif inland in the province of Barcelona -the terrain here is quite rugged compared with the standard in the area. The vineyards are organically certified since the 2016 vintage.
In 2018 they joined Corpinnat, the association of top sparkling producers from Penedès that left the DO Cava. This has helped to sell their wines beyond the local market, which are currently available in Denmark, UK, Switzerland and the US. Nevertheless, the family still sells directly to consumers at the cellar as they want to remain true to their origins. As Xavier says, “we are wine growing professionals, not distribution experts.”
Although they produce small amounts of still wines (only available at the cellar, Maria is a pure unoaked Xarel.lo sold for €13.5), their focus is on dry sparkling wines labelled as Brut Nature in Spain. Chardonnay and Xarel.lo are blended in Exsum (30,000 bottles, €13, around 30 months of aging), a great value entry-level wine, and the vibrant 60x40 (around 4,000-5,000 bottles, €18,50), named after the percentage of Chardonnay (60%) and Xarel.lo (40%) in the blend.
The range of extended ageing sparkling wines is based on the local grape variety Xarel.lo. It starts with Julia Bernet 130 (4,000-5,000 bottles, €22 cellar price), a firm sparkling aged for over 75 months with finely integrated bubbles. In exceptional vintages, this wine’s ageing is extended and it becomes the top María Bernet (€47), a very serious bubbly that manages to keep a good level of freshness. According to Xavier Bernat, the Ordal mountains are a reliable source of acidity in Penedès.
Disgorgement dates are printed on all the labels. Moreover, the family makes sure that the sparkling wines they sell in the cellar have been disgorged within the previous three weeks. Their experimental Exum, made with Xarel.lo Vermell, has been released alternatively as a pet-nat and as a traditional method sparkling wine but with no sulfites added. This is technically a rosé but often comes closer to a blanc de noirs.
