Oriol Artigas La Rauxa Ancestral

This is not the first time someone has harvested to raise funds and, without going looking, has ended up feeling the call of wine. Oriol Artigas is a chemist who, after working a harvest in the Penedès region, realised that he was not made to work in a laboratory. So he decided to study oenology and gain experience in different Catalan wineries. Once he got a stable job as a professor at the university, he was encouraged to set up his own project focussed on revitalising the old coastal vineyards of the D.O. Alella (Barcelona) and producing minimal intervention wines.

With Alella being one of the smallest D.O. in Spain and lying just 15 kilometres north of Barcelona, this inspired Oriol to protect old vineyards that enjoy the influence of the sea and the granite soils (sauló). Thanks to these unique characteristics, he produces extremely transparent and non-interventionist wines that evoke the nearby Mediterranean. One example of his work is this Oriol Artigas La Rauxa Ancestral, an ancient method sparkling wine made from old Pansa Blanca vines planted in white and pink granite sandy soil at an altitude of 100-350 metres. The 60-year-old vines are cultivated following organic principles and are harvested by hand, collecting those with the best size and consistency. In the winery, some of the fruit is destemmed and pressed and the rest is left to macerate. Alcoholic fermentation begins in stainless steel tanks with native yeasts and fermentation is completed in the bottle, leaving it to remain on its lees for a period of 9 months. Unfiltered and not disgorged.

Wines like this Oriol Artigas La Rauxa Ancestral are proof of a unique style where the garrigue and sea salt stand out. A great little project where the Mediterranean character of Alella and Oriol’s craftsmanship go hand in hand.