This historic farmhouse set on a beautiful 300-hectare estate is a jewell surrounded by vineyards and forests on the foothills of the Prelitoral Mountains in Alt Penedès. Linked to the Cabrera castle, it date backs to the 15th century when the Baron of Cabrera, who was also a bishop at the time, granted the care of the land.
Farmed by way of tenancy agreements for a long time, it was later in the hands of the Feixes family for several generations. When there were no more direct descendants, the property was passed on to other relatives until the Huguet family acquired it in the 1940s. At present, three out of six Huguet siblings manage the property: Josep María is in charge of winemaking, Joan looks after sales and Xavier oversees administrative issues.
The rugged terrain of the estate is shaped by the presence of various downward streams that allow air to flow in from the mountains and provide good ventilation. Most of the area is covered by woodland. There are some 80 hectares under vine, mostly on the slopes, plus 10 hectares of olive trees and a little over 30 hectares of grazing land for sheep. All crops are certified organic since 2010. The soils are poor, mostly clay-limestone, with some stony areas and a small strip of slate -the same where the adjacent Torres's Reserva Real vineyard sits. Another illustrious property nearby is La Freixeneda, owned by the Ferrer family.
Ten grape varieties are grown: Macabeo, Parellada, Xarel.lo, Malvasía de Sitges and Chardonnay (whites) together with Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Pinot Noir (reds). The oldest vines in the estate are 80 to 90 years-old, but replanting is done when needed. Production exceeds their needs but instead of selling fruit as they used to do in the past, all of their grapes are now fermented at the property and the wines that don’t make it into their blends are sold in bulk. Around 200,000 bottles are produced at Can Feixes: still wines are sold as DO Penedès whereas sparkling wines display the Corpinnat seal.
Bottle ageing prior to the release of the wines is very important at Can Feixes hence the new and very spacious underground area providing ideal cellaring conditions.
Malvasía de Sitges is the new rising star and has been planted inland in contrast with its traditional location near the sea. It is blended in the family’s whites, and its performance both in the vineyard and in the bottle (the wines are developing slowly and beautifully) is being carefully monitored with a view to release a varietal wine in the near future.
The range of white wines starts with the very good value young Blanc Selecció (around €8 in Spain), a blend of all the white grape varieties grown on the estate with a short period under lees. Blanc Tradició (€12.5) is an excellent blend of Xarel.lo and Malvasía de Sitges that spends eight months under lees in stainless steel tanks and six months in bottle prior to its release. Malvasía adds aroma and vibrant acidity on the palate. There is also a classic barrel fermented Chardonnay (around €22) which spends eight months in oak.
In terms of reds, Negre Selecció (€8-9 in Spain) blends Tempranillo with around 30% Merlot, briefly aged in stainless steel tanks and with a small addition of oak-aged wine. This is a medium-bodied, fresh, easy-to-drink red. The more powerful Negre Tradició (€14) displays the Mediterranean character of the Bordeaux grape varieties (Cabernet, Merlot and Petit Verdot) grown in Penedès. It is aged for 12 months in barrels before spending four years in bottle in the family’s underground cellar. The top Can Feixes Reserva Especial (€30) follows the same pattern but limits the blend to Cabernet and Merlot and takes bottle ageing up to six years. These are very traditional reds destined to stand the test of time.
Only one sparkling wine is produced at the estate. Huguet de Can Feixes is presented as Brut (with some sugar added) and Brut Nature (dry). Mediterranean in style, the Brut Nature is consistent, shows tension and is far more aromatic -it accounts for 75% of all the bottles produced, yet the Brut works better in export (80%). Aged for at least seven years and sold for €13-14 in Spain, both wines offer amazing value. They also prove the ability of Parellada, the main variety in the blend together with small additions of Macabeo and Pinot Noir, to produce extended ageing sparkling wines.
