Pepe Raventos, Xarel-lo Vinya del Noguer

Tasted at Rico's Restaurant in Küssnacht, Switzerland: Ripe and complete nose with a cidery touch; mineral, well balanced, well integrated acidity; a good prelude for a wonderful meal!

Birthday dinner at the office w/V,C, and hotpot. Lovely, a bit wild, apple-cider-vinegar with slight peach and woody phenolics. Medium body, medium + acid, medium phenolic bitterness, medium alcohol (13%). No notable RS or pyrazines. It was weirdly reductive out of the bottle - I think it’s a low-sulfur wine so maybe…lots of lees? Or more likely, I’m just misidentifying the source of funk. Then it really blossomed after some oxygen. Got fruitier, richer. Then after some extreme sichuan peppercorn …

Xarel·l sin DO de la zona del Penedés. Viñas de unos 50 años. Fermenta sin control de temperatura en un ánfora de cerámica de 1.000 l. y un fudre de roble de 1.600 l. La nariz es franca, destaca la fruta blanca fresca y los matices de hierbas aromáticas mediterráneas con una fondo mineral. En boca tiene buen ataque, pasa fresco pero con carácter, incluso con matices salinos. Largo y con buena definición. Notable personalidad.

I'm not usually one for natty wines, but I pushed myself tonight. I love Raventos for their sparkling, but I've never tried their natty wines. White pepper on the nose, smoked bacon, funk, ripe mango, orgeat. Fruity and funky on the palate, high acidity, canned pineapple, and a little smoke. This is good, and dangerously easy to drink. Overpriced, but I might just grab another for shits and giggles.