Els Jelipins Vi de Taula 2016

Els Jelipins Vi de Taula Biodynamic wine, Penedes, Sumoll and Garnacha, rare, unique, crystalline wine offering immense pleasure to the drinker. It is difficult not to overdo the superlatives when talking about this exceptionally rare wine from Penedes so i will try not to. It is enough to tell you that most of the 2000 bottles produced are consumed in the Michelin star restaurants of Europe and are bought for pretty high prices. The wine is however, not for everyone. Made from Sumol and Garnacha using biodynamic production, no touching of the must or the fermentation and no sulphur added at any stage of the production, this is wine whose purity can be too much for some conventional palates. Although rich, the depth of the wine is in its minerality and subtlety of flavour, body without vulgarity, alcohol seamlessly intertwined with layers of wild fruit, herbs, eucalyptus and spice. The wine ages beautifully despite the lack of sulphur and with age becomes more of the animal and the earth. It is a delicious and intellectual wine for enthusiasts of natural wine production.

The Spanish estate of Els Jelipins was born from the desire to create a viticultural family project that would allow Glòria and her daughter Berta to live in the hills of Font Rubi near Barcelona, enjoying a life of moderation in which they could find personal enrichment in tandem with the forces of mother nature and appreciation of the simpler things in life.

In 2001, this former engineer looked for the best plots of vineyards around Font Rubi, with special characteristics of soil, vine and climate. She found them in Penedès Superior. Glòria selects the grapes from various hillside vineyards cultivated without a single chemical or any other aggressive activity that disrupt natures natural flow. She carefully works each vineyard separately, adjusting to its individual needs and potential. She's in favour of achieving a fruit that can mature naturally and healthily without becoming trapped by a particular dogma or strict regime. Since 2003, Glòria has been making this now Iconic wine with a production of barely 2,000 bottles. She mainly uses a very old indigenous red grape variety called Sumoll, which almost totally disappeared from Spain, but she also puts some Garnacha (equivalent to Grenache) in the wine. If you try to ask Glòria about the name Els Jelipins, she will tell you that it's a name without meaning but a name with feeling that is magical and strong.