lucy chilvers
CATALUNYA, EL PENEDES
We're so glad to have new wines from Lucy Chilvers, direct from her project in the hills of El Penedès. Arriving are the 2024 editions of her invigorating macerations: Flor de Maeve and Nuria. Delicate and pure expressions of very-old vine Xarel•lo and Muscat respectively.
2024 was the fourth consecutive year of drought in Catalunya - with yields down and maturity a struggle with water lacking, the silver lining from a tricky year is these wines of great tension and finesse. Sourced from Lucy's 4.5 hectares of old indigenous vines around the surrounding hills, fruit is farmed organically, worked very gently in the cellar, and bottled with no additions.
Alongside the new macerations we have a little of her direct-press Sumoll ancestral sparkling - Toca'M - her pressing of 3-week macerated centenary Xarel•lo - Sasa - and good volumes of her excellent expression of Merlot - El Nam Sam - vibrant fruit nicely softened by extended barrel ageing.
The new wines are detailed below.
FOR WHOLESALE ENQUIRIES: HELLO@WINESUTB.COM
2024 - Flor De Maeve - Xarel•lo
100-year-old Xarel·lo hand-harvested from Sant Joan Samora - El Penedès at 150m altitude over clay-rich and calcareous soils. De-stemmed and crushed, fermentation on the skins for two weeks with punch-downs in the first week and only wetting the cap in the second. No pressing, the free-run juice is drawn off by gravity. Naturally cold settled over winter in stainless steel, bottled after seven months on the lees with no additions. (The press-juice is aged separately for her textural Sasa cuvée.)
2024 - Nuria - Muscat d'Alexandria.
Muscat d´Alexandria from Torrelles de Foix - El Penedès at 320m altitude on sandy/clay soils. De-stemmed & crushed, fermentation on skins for two weeks, Pressed gently into stainless steel, naturally cold settled over winter. Bottled in early spring with no additions.
