Case of Rupestris 2023 | $33.00 per bottle

Rupestris 2023 | Alt Penedès, Catalonia Producer: Celler Pardas

The Vibe Penedès built its reputation on Cava — high-volume, industrial, Xarel·lo used as a blending workhorse. Pardas makes the case that the same grape, from the same hillsides, is capable of something else entirely when you stop rushing it. Rupestris — named for Vitis rupestris, the wild vine species synonymous with pre-grafted, deep-rooted viticulture — signals the intention plainly: this is about the rock beneath the vine, not the label above the bottle.

The Taste Citrus gives way to pear, quince, and melon with a faint hazelnut note underneath. What holds it together is the acidity — flinty, precise, with a glycerine-rich palate that keeps it from feeling lean. Mediterranean herbs carry through to a clean, electric finish. It drinks richer than it tastes structured, which is the point.

The Story The fruit comes from 30–60 year old Xarel·lo vines — with a small addition of Malvasia de Sitges — grown on limestone hillsides at the Can Comas estate. Celler Pardas farms biodynamically and takes the slow road: lees aging, no shortcuts. The result is a still white from an appellation most people still associate exclusively with sparkling wine. That gap between perception and reality is exactly where this bottle lives.

Best Enjoyed With Serve at 10–12°C. Works well alongside grilled seafood, aged Manchego, or anything with enough acid or fat to meet it halfway. Not a patio sipper — a wine for the table.

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