Vins El Cep was born from the union of four winegrowing families and four estates. Since 1980, they have been producing distinctive, high-quality wines and cavas that express their terroirs. Located in els Costers de l’Anoia, at Can Llopart de les Alzines, they are pioneers in organic and biodynamic viticulture.
They strive to achieve the perfect balance between respect for nature and high quality in the cellar. The vineyards are their heritage; the roots are their landscape.
Technical Sheet
Winery: Estate vineyards in Sant Sadurnà de Noia (Barcelona), harvested by hand.
D.O. Penedés
Alcohol: 12%
Varieties: 45% Xarel·lo 25% Macabeu 15% Parellada 15% Chardonnay
Tasting note: Elegant and persistent stream of bubbles. An expressive brut nature cava with great aromatic intensity, and a very fresh, citrus-driven nose. Good texture on the palate, refined and balanced. The carbonation is very well integrated, showing good evolution in the mouth. Elegant, delicate, with a long, persistent finish.
Serving temperature: 6-8ºC
Production: This cava comes from 3 old vineyards on the Can Prats and Can Miquel de les Planes estates, and from a Chardonnay vineyard at Can Castaño, all in Sant Llorenç and Gelida, in the Costers del Anoia. From these 15 ha. of organic vineyards, grapes are obtained at the optimal level of ripeness and acidity. Year of planting: between 1958 and 1990. Training system: bush vines for the old vineyards and trellised Chardonnay. Moderately deep, carbonate-rich soils, predominantly loam-clay-silt in texture, well structured, porous, and with frequent fauna activity. These soils are highly suitable for viticulture and allow the vines’ varietal character to be fully expressed. South-west orientation. Hand harvest. Rapid, gravity-fed entry into the winery. Low-pressure pressing, extracting 50% free-run must, the most elegant and subtle fraction of the must. Fermentation in small tanks at controlled temperature. Aged for more than 24 months.
Pairing: appetizers, shellfish, fish, foie gras.
At Made in Spain Gourmet we believe it is excellent with Mediterranean rice dishes such as those from Dehesa de la Albufera (seafood paellas, soupy rice dishes) and fresh pasta with sautéed vegetables or boletus sauces.
Vins El Cep is a sustainable, responsible, and efficient winery.
They work day after day to fulfill their commitment to the landscape. They operate sustainably using renewable energy, with the utmost respect for the environment in both vineyard and winery.
They work to improve water management, reduce waste, and increase energy efficiency, investing so that everything runs on photovoltaic energy.
Their Journey
The Carreras, Esteve, Masana, and Parera families had centuries of experience, a deeply rooted agricultural tradition, and a tradition of winemaking in their farmhouses. Thus, in 1980, they began a shared project to make wines and cavas that represent the identity of their terroirs.
Can Llopart de les Alzines, an estate dating back to 1499 and surrounded by vineyards, was the place chosen to build their winery.
The soul of their project was—and always will be—those four friends and neighbors who became partners: Gil Masana, Josep Carreras, Pere Parera, and Josep Esteve, who, driven by vocation, knowledge, and love for the land, have guided it to the present day.
Biodynamic: Pioneers and True Believers
Throughout their history, each generation has contributed its grain of sand, its advances, and also the insight to observe and reflect. The experience gained through this direct contact with the land led them, in 2000, to steer their agriculture toward organic farming.
Shortly afterwards, eager to continue improving on every level, they decided to go one step further and apply biodynamic agriculture. Although at the time this type of farming was still relatively unknown in Spain, the results spoke for themselves, and they decided to commit to it. And they will continue to do so.
Vins El Cep was born and has grown in this landscape of vineyards and forests that impart character. They love their land and therefore care for it, listen to it, and try to understand it in order to act, because they know everything begins here: in the soil, in the vines, in the plants and animals that coexist in the same ecosystem, understand one another, and establish a natural balance.
Observation, effort, and conviction have led them, from 2003 to the present day, to continue working in this direction, striving to achieve the perfect balance between respect for nature and high quality in the winery. Their cava Claror, the world’s first biodynamic cava, is an example of their work.
It is well known that the path of wine begins in the vineyard. The personality, feeling, and expression of their wines only make sense if the vineyard is more alive every day. The vineyards are their heritage; the roots are their landscape.
Terroirs and Landscapes
Thousands of years ago, these lands formed part of the seabed, and in fact vineyards were already present here more than 500 years ago.
Their vineyards are largely old vines located in Costers de l’Anoia, between the municipalities of Sant Sadurnà d’Anoia, Gelida, and Sant Llorenç. These are vineyards with marked character, a quality needed to obtain their terroir-driven wines.
The grapes grow among gently rolling slopes, crossed by deep ravines, in a typically Mediterranean climate: moderately hot, dry summers, mild winters, and irregular rainfall. Alongside native varieties, which occupy a large part of their vineyards, such as Macabeo, Xarel·lo, Parellada, and Tempranillo, they also cultivate Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Syrah, allowing them to find balance in their blends.
The moderately deep roots cling to a loam-clay-silt soil, well structured, porous, and active in terms of fauna. Thanks to the organic and biodynamic farming they practice, ants, worms, and all kinds of organisms live and develop there, fostering the necessary natural balance.
Commitment
They are a sustainable, responsible, and efficient winery.
They work day after day to fulfill their commitment to the landscape. They work sustainably with renewable energy, with the utmost respect for the environment in both vineyard and winery.
They strive to improve water management, waste reduction, and energy efficiency. They invest in operating with photovoltaic energy.
They are what you see.
Winemaking
Experience and Passion
Two generations combine experience and tradition with passion and new ventures. Strict control, technology, and the right blend are the keys to the success of their wines and cavas.
Vinification
The location of the winery, next to its vineyards, allows the grapes to arrive in the best possible condition. These grapes are pressed gently to extract the noblest fraction of the must, a maximum of 50%, which guarantees the highest quality of their wines. In small tanks, and under strict control during fermentation, each variety is vinified separately according to the vineyard it comes from, personalizing each of the wines they will obtain.
Aging
Inside the cellars, protected from light, with constant humidity and low temperatures, their bottles rest. Only under these optimal conditions and with long aging is it possible, year after year, to transform the grape into an exceptional cava. Long aging provides the complexity of the bouquet, finesse, and integration of the carbonation in their reserva and gran reserva cavas.
Tirage
During the first months of the year, when temperatures are lower, they bottle their wines and cavas. Under these conditions, slow fermentation takes place in the bottle to obtain the finest aromas and delicate bubbles that will combine to begin the long aging process. Selected yeasts give their cavas complexity and character.