St Jaume Sesoliveres 2023 Brut Nature

An impressive step forward in the world of Casajou! Here we have pure Xarel·lo and an elegance that is a far cry from what is commonly associated with Catalan sparkling wine. The grapes come from the Vinya Lluny, La Pega, Ple del Nord, and Perdigot vineyards surrounding Sant Jaume Sesoliveres in the Penedès region. The 20- to 50-year-old vines grow on calcareous clay soils, which lend the wine both tremendous minerality and depth. The vineyards are cultivated organically and using traditional Mediterranean methods, with deliberately low yields ranging from 800 to 3,000 kilograms per hectare. After gentle whole-cluster pressing, Laia and Jaume use only the finest free-run juice—a maximum of 40% of the yield—since this was a challenging vintage with low yields. Fermentation occurs spontaneously with wild yeasts; the second fermentation in the bottle is initiated with fresh must from 2024. Bottled as Brut Nature and unfiltered. On the nose, a simply fascinating sensory experience awaits: St. Jaume Sesoliveres 2023 ultimately reveals the full potential of the limestone-rich terroir, with more depth and an even finer perlage than the entry-level wine. This interplay between power and finesse is truly incomparable.