109 de Loxarel

In 1985, at only 16 years of age, Josep Mitjans, with his entrepreneurial, inventive character, made his first thousand bottles of wine with a handful of friends in a former bomb shelter on the Vilobí del Penedes airfield built by the Republicans in the Spanish civil war. Loxarel takes its name from the queen of Penedés grape varieties, the Xarel.lo, vilified a few years back but then claimed once more to be the greatest expression of local terroir. The bodega has always practiced environmentally-friendly viticulture and for the past eight years its methodology has been governed by biodynamic rhythms, thus closing a virtuous circle in its own 22 hectare estate.

Appearance

Gentle, golden yellow with very small bubbles. Slightly cloudy in the glass.

Nose

Changing, with considerable intensity. Distinct notes which remind us that the cava was in constant contact with its lees. Pastries, wet straw, nuts. Notes, particularly of ripe fruit, vanilla ice cream and raisins gradually come through.

Palate

Creamy, with vigour and power, followed by aromas of sun dried peaches/ apricots (orejones), white almond and pineapple in syrup. Very subtle carbon dioxide. Fairly long on the palate.

Note

A sparkling wine of unparalleled quality that triggered Loxarel’s official exit from the protection afforded by Cava’s Regulatory Board, thus making this a unique cava which no longer governed by the regulations imposed by the restrictive designation of origin. This freedom is essential if you seek to challenge the traditional market with a risky yet excellent sparkling wine, which takes its name from the 109 months it rested before its release on to the market. It is a sparkling wine which has not been “made up” or “disgorged” i.e. it remains in contact with its lees. Wine mannoproteins are simply yeasts which have died and been left in the bottle after autolysis thereby giving us a constantly evolving wine. The result is a marvel of simplicity made art. A defiant product which may not suit the classic consumer little interested in going beyond the label. A treat for those who want to experiment, sip and muse.