Producer:  Joan Rubió

Region:  Alt Penedès – Els Monjos – Without Geographical Indication

Vintage:  2021                                    

Bottle:   7 cl                                                    

Grape Varieties: 100% Xarel.lo

Type:  Natural White wine briefly aged

Alcohol Volume:  10.50 %

Serving Temperature:  8º - 10º

Essencial is an artisanal, natural, clean, and very authentic white wine. 100% Xarel.lo from the family vines planted in three small fields with clay-limestone soil in 1996. Produced by applying ecological and biodynamic farming methods. SO2: <11 mg/l.

Winemaking:

The grapes are hand-picked and are meticulously selected at the winery on the sorting table. Maceration with the skins for 6 days in stainless steel tanks. The juice is obtained by gravity, without pressing, very slowly. Fermented with indigenous yeasts.

Aged for 2 months in used 500-litre oak barrels and a further 6 months in stainless steel tanks.

Tasting Notes:

Natural, fresh, and clean wine, very expressive and deep, displays a Mediterranean character; slightly floral, white fruit, and hints of herbal notes. Silky-textured, dry, and elegant wine

THE PROJECT:  CAL TIQUES

Joan Rubió is the man behind Cal Tiques celler. A personal project born in 2015 when Joan Rubió, well known as the man who for many years was the head at the Recaredo winery, one of the most prestigious Cava houses in the region, embarked on his own venture together with his wife Angels.

A sucessful joint venture on the family vineyards, 9 hectares in Santa Margarita i els Monjos, Alt Penedès, where they started producing their own wines faithful to their way of understanding viticulture. The wines are elaborated at the old facilities in the same family farmhouse, Cal Tiques, where their grandparents used to make the wine in the past and which have been renovated for their project. They are fully committed to sustainability, employing exclusively ecological and biodynamic methods. The winery has been inscribed since 2009 at the CCPAE, the Catalan Council of Organic Production.

The project consists of a range of natural, clean, and authentic wines. The crystal-clear appearance of the wines is achieved by natural sedimentation. The wines are made with as little intervention as possible, hand-harvesting, and obtained by free-flow without pressing. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts, ageing takes place in stainless steel vats, 500-l French and American oak barrels, and red or white clay amphorae. The sulfite content is extremely low, if not zero.