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Enric Soler
In 1997 he was voted Spain's best sommelier. Enric Soler could have made himself comfortable - instead, he inherited a vineyard in 2004 and dared to make a new start. Cal Raspallet is home to the oldest Xarel-lo vines in the world: planted by his grandfather in 1945. With just under three hectares and 10,000 bottles a year, everything remains artisanal. He has been farming biodynamically since 2005. What drives him? The conviction that Xarel-lo can hold its own alongside the best white wines in the world.
More about Enric Soler
From sommelier to winemaker
Spain's best sommelier 1997 - a title that opens doors. Enric Soler ran a renowned sommelier school in Barcelona, tasted the world's great wines and knew exactly what he was missing: his own vineyard. When his grandfather died in 2004, he was faced with the choice of selling the plot he had inherited or growing his own. He decided to take the risk. In Sabanell, a hamlet in the Alt Penedès near Barcelona, he took over Cal Raspallet, a Catalan farmhouse from the late 19th century. In the cellar below: Space for his first barrels.
The Xarel-lo-The vines, which his grandfather had planted in 1945, were almost 80 years old - and Enric recognised their potential. A grape variety that is usually drowned out in cava or covered up with too much wood should finally show what it is made of.
Vinya dels Taus - The vineyard of the moles
The name of its flagship wine tells a story: Vinya dels Taus means „vineyard of molehills“ in Catalan. Anyone who visits the plot immediately understands why - in some phases the ground is littered with them. This does not harm the old vines. Their roots reach deep into the calcareous, sandy subsoil, where they find water and nutrients even in dry years.
This vineyard covers just 0.89 hectares and offers a spectacular view of the rugged Montserrat mountains in the background. The Mediterranean as a climatic buffer is only 30 kilometres away. The cool nights at an altitude of 400 metres preserve the acidity - an advantage that is also Familia Nin-Ortiz in the nearby priory. No coincidence: Ester Nin, who is behind Clos Erasmus and her own winery, has been advising Enric on vinification for years.
Biodynamics and Burgundy ambitions
Enric has been working biodynamically since 2005 - ladybirds on the gnarled vines are no coincidence. The grapes are harvested by hand in 15-kilo crates and fermented spontaneously with wild yeasts, without any corrections to the must. In the cellar, he experiments with different containers: Concrete eggs for the Improvisació, which receives additional mash contact, used oak barrels for freshness, new 300-litre barrels for structure.
The Now Vinya dels Taus marked a turning point for still wine Xarel-lo in the Penedès: Burgundian ambition, Oak maturation with storage potential, quick success among sommeliers. The Espenyalluchs dispenses with the concrete egg and favours a purer, mineral mouthfeel - almost salty, cool, with a depth that takes time.
Small, precise, uncompromising
From one wine and 2,000 bottles in the beginning, production has grown to four wines and a good 10,000 bottles - more than two decades later, it is still a micro-business. The wines regularly sell out quickly and the ratings in Wine Advocate and Guía Peñín are high. Whoever wants a bottle Now in the cellar is rewarded: complexity and freshness that develop over years.
Enric Soler has proved what he suspected as a sommelier: Xarel-lo can compete with the best white wines in the world.