Can Ràfols dels Caus - Pairal 2022 | White Wine | $144.00 per bottle

Can Ràfols dels Caus Xarel·lo Pairal 2022 | DO Penedès, Massís del Garraf

Producer: Can Ràfols dels Caus Region: Massís del Garraf, Penedès, Catalonia, Spain Grape Variety: Xarel·lo (100%, old vine)

The Vibe Xarel·lo is the workhorse of Cava — picked early, kept neutral, rarely given room to speak. This white wine illustrates what it says when you actually listen. From a single 1.40-hectare plot called El Cirerer, at 260 metres in the Massís del Garraf, grown on shallow calcareous clay soils with up to 40% active lime content and marine fossil deposits, this is one of roughly 1,200 numbered bottles produced per vintage.

The Taste Subtle on the nose — apricot, peach, wild herbs, and faint almond and honey. On the palate it is complex and agile, with ripe fruit, aromatic herbs, mineral hints, and the kind of acidity that drives a long, deep finish. Chestnut is more porous than oak and carries fewer congeners — the result is integration rather than imposition, with a light nuttiness and freshness that conventional barrel aging rarely achieves at this weight. 

The Story Carlos Esteva — architect and engineer by training — settled on his grandfather's 450-hectare estate in 1979 and spent decades pioneering organic viticulture in Penedès, rescuing native varieties like Xarel·lo, Macabeu, and Sumoll while planting 25 others.  He launched Xarel·lo Pairal in 2000, inspired by traditional winemaking, choosing chestnut barrels and grapes from vines his grandfather planted — now 70 years old. After spontaneous fermentation in 425-litre chestnut barrels over 40 days, the wine ages six months on lees in barrel, then a further two years in bottle before release. Since Carlos's passing in 2023, the estate continues under winemaker Jordi Esteve Roger and the Esteva family.

Best Enjoyed With Serve at 10–12°C. Grilled fish, herb-roasted chicken, risotto, or semi-cured cheese. The acidity and mineral structure make it a better food wine than its aromatics initially suggest.

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