Grapes: Malvasia from multiple
Region: Penedès, Catalonia, Spain
Vintage: 2023
Viticulture: Organic
Soils: Mixed, limestone + calcaric stony soil
Vinification: Hand harvested + direct pressed into stainless steel where it undergoes malolactic fermentation before aging
Aging: 5 months in steel
Fining or Filtering: None
Sulfur: None added
Notes from the Producer: “El Soci was born from the desire to bring wine closer to people who sometimes feel a certain fear of drinking it due to its 'elite-like' status that often exists. This wine is the opposite of that– it wants to invite everyone to have a glass of
wine and just enjoy a good time with friends, partners, family etc, to remind us that wine is above all a partner for great moments in our lives.”
The label differs from Clandestina’s other labels to reflect that philosophy: “This wine basically wants to offer a big revitalizing energy, to be easy-drinking for these convivial moments, when the wine is not center of attention, but a small part of the casual conversation that we are sharing with our friends, giving harmony to that moment. In Catalan, we have a specific word for a person like that – the word is “Soci”, meaning something like “fellow colleague” or also “membership”. To share this easy-going idea also in a visual way, we opened the lock (closed on the other wines). As in: “don’t over-think, the lock is open, so enjoy!!”
In order to produce a refreshing, light wine, the winemaker Ferrán Lacruz chose the Macabeo variety and focused on showcasing the acidity that makes you long more of the wine after each sip, but also balancing it with 2nd later pick for phenolic ripeness and intensity of flavors.
Notes from the Importer: Ferran Lacruz farms 8 hectares of vines in Catalonia, in the small village of Sant Marti Sarroca, in the heart of the Penedès wine region. Ferran started this project with his first vintage of 2018. He works completely outside of any appellation, farms the grapes organically, and is not adding anything to any of the wines. All the grapes are hand-harvested, and nothing is filtered or fined. Ferran grew up in this part of Catalonia, and since being a small child was seduced by the landscape, natural beauty, and the important of wine producing in the culture. He studied tourism in college, which left him feeling unfulfilled. So, with a friend, he began to embark on the journey of becoming a winemaker, looking to produce clean natural wines that express his homeland with honesty.
Personality: Flowers and citric fruit mingling with minerality, electric in the mouth. Its freshness and lightness make it really perfect to drink at any occasion and time of the day.
