Penedès: Autumn 2022

Enric Soler, sommelier turned winemaker, has become a vanguard of the Penedès wine scene. His commitment to the preservation and enhancement of the native Xarel·lo grape, his pioneering embrace of biodynamics, and his unflinching commitment to quality, have marked him out as a visionary in a region dominated by the production of Cava.

Penedès remains a difficult appellation to describe and define, covering varietals that go from Xarel·lo and Parellada, to Cabernet Sauvignon and Incrocio Marconi. If you asked us what does Penedès taste like, we would not be able to reply. But if you ask us what does Xarel·lo taste like, we could tell you that it tastes like Enric Soler’s.

Defining Enric Soler

Soler began his journey in the wine industry in 1993, studying at the Institute of Vine and Wine of Catalonia (INCAVI). His skills and dedication earned him the title of ‘Best Sommelier of Spain’ in 1997. Beyond being a sommelier, Soler also distinguished himself as an educator and consultant. He led the Barcelona Wine Academy and, subsequently, shared his wisdom with aspiring sommeliers at CETT. At the same time, he offered his expertise as a consultant to wineries across Catalonia.

The turning point in Soler’s narrative came in 2004, a year that marked both an end and a beginning. Upon the passing of his grandfather, he unexpectedly inherited a single hectare of Xarel·lo, a white grape variety native to Catalonia. Encouraged by fellow winemakers from Priorat—a region Soler holds dear due to his extensive training there—he seized the opportunity and laid the foundation for his winery.

From the outset, he embraced biodynamic methods, a practice then in its infancy in Spain. Inspired by pioneers like Recaredo, and influenced by the transformational discussions on biodynamics he attended in Priorat in 2002, Soler saw the potential to change the way vineyards were cultivated.

The early days of his winemaking were challenging. Soler’s theoretical knowledge needed the depth that only hands-on practice could provide. His initial winemaking attempts were fraught with complications. Yet, through adversity, he mostly turned to the wisdom of local growers, setting aside traditional textbooks. Soler persevered despite the harshness of nature and the sceptical glances some of his more unorthodox methods attracted. For instance, his decision to discard rotting grapes, favouring quality over quantity, was met with incredulity. However, this seemingly counterintuitive decision was to become a cornerstone of his approach to viticulture.

Vinya dels Taus: a Grand Cru of Penedès

Enric Soler embodies a viticultural philosophy centred around history and biodiversity, and is impressively manifested through his oldest vineyard. Central to Soler’s approach is the preservation and rejuvenation of existing vines, embracing an ethos that values nurturing vines over replanting them. 

The heart of Soler’s vineyards is a small plot from his grandfather, Vinya dels Taus, a venerable presence that dates back to 1945. This single vineyard produces an annual yield ranging from 2,200 to 2,800 bottles, depending on the year. It stands out distinctively from the adjacent vineyard where a newer generation of vines has been planted.

He purchased this latter vineyard in 2015, which he had been renting since 2006, enabling further careful preservation. While it was initially planted with a variety of Parellada, Soler embarked on a project of grafting Xarel·lo vines onto the existing Parellada, giving the vineyard an entirely new lease of life. Interestingly, the man who once farmed this vineyard still wanders around the grounds, perhaps intrigued by Soler’s methods. From here, the harvested fruit goes into the cuvée Improvisació.

One of Soler’s key tenets is the typicity and value of the Xarel·lo grape. This belief led to a significant transformation of the vineyard. The vineyard’s posts and wires were removed, and it was restructured to align with traditional Mediterranean viticulture methods. The vineyard is now tended manually to yield high-quality grapes. This transition is still ongoing, with the vineyard currently in a phase of compost incorporation using a biodynamic compost, meticulously planned to align with the lunar cycles. 

Within Soler’s vineyards is also a strip of Malvasia de Sitges. This coastal grape faced disregard for many years. Its cultivation was difficult, and there was waning demand for the sweet wine it produced. Recently, however, it has seen a revival. Soler has embraced it, intrigued by its excellent oenological properties. Since 2016, it has been incorporated into a cuvée called Istiu that combines it with Xarel·lo, creating a blend that yields a mere 700 to 800 bottles annually.

In addition to these major projects, Soler’s vision extends to smaller-scale endeavours, such as planting cypress trees to create a more inviting atmosphere and implementing techniques to rejuvenate the soil. Despite the challenges and the occasional derision from other winemakers who have maintained a more traditional path, Soler’s determination and forward-thinking approach have gradually earned him a following among his peers.

Throughout his vineyards, there is evidence of the region’s history. For instance, remains of Civil War shelters can be found tucked away amidst the grapevines, stark reminders of a turbulent past. They stand as symbols of the resilience and adaptability of this land – qualities that Soler’s viticultural philosophy embodies, fostering an intricate dance between tradition and innovation, past and future.

Visiting his cellar

Meticulous care summarizes Enric’s philosophy – a care that prioritizes the vineyard over the winery. He selects and shapes his wines with precision, according to his preferences, but ultimately, he lets the vineyards express their own character. We do find a distinctly Burgundian influence in his wines. There is a concentration and texture that reminds us of Kongsgaard or Meursault. Even though he does not like to compare his Xarel·lo to Burgundy’s Chardonnay, from our conversation with him it was clear that he loves white Burgundies.

‘Sometimes they ask me what I do differently. It’s a conceptual issue, it’s based on a model of tasting’ Enric explains, while we visit his small but efficient winery. ‘I have a clear idea of how I like wines. When I have the wines in the winery, I taste them and try to direct them.’

Enric’s approach starts from the source – the vineyard. He says, ‘the story is about taking good care of the vineyards.’ His vines are treated with such reverence, and the harvest is so carefully chosen that there’s no need for a sorting table. The selected grapes are packed into 12 or 13-kilogram boxes and sent directly to the press.

Enric’s pressing technique deserves special attention. It’s an intensive three-hour operation that mimics the Champenois system. Rather than filling the press with large volumes, Enric opts for a maximum of 1200 kilograms at a time. The result of this slow pressing is a must that is both fine and elegant. As the must is produced, it is placed in a vat for homogenisation before being transferred to barrels or foudres, or even concrete vessels.

As we entered the barrel room, Enric outlined the winery’s annual schedule. The process begins with the harvest in August or September. It rests in the cellar until May and is bottled in June. After bottling, it remains in the cellar for six more months. By December, it’s ready to meet the world.

The cuvée Improvisació began in 2016 with the acquisition of a Stöckinger foudre, the first one purchased for the winery, which has served as a consistent vessel for this cuvée’s fermentation ever since. Due to the expansion of the vineyards, Enric plans to increase the production of Improvisació, comprising 90% ageing in foudre and 10% in cement. He uses 300-litre eggs, custom-made for him, to age small batches of wine without imparting the aromatic characteristics of wood.

The cuvée Nun Vinya dels Taus , which has typically been fermented and aged in the historical section of the cellar, has also undergone some changes. This wine, which normally occupies 8 or 9 barrels, will be reduced to just 6 barrels due to the severe drought of 2022. Despite this lower yield, Enric remains committed to offering a reasonable price. When discussing barrel preferences, Soler expressed his inclination for medium plus toasting, preferring the sweeter notes it produces over the rawness of dry wood. This choice, purely based on personal taste, adds a layer of complexity to his wines. He sources his barrels from Tonnellerie Damy in Mersault.

The historical section of the cellar also hosts Enric’s experimental vineyard tracking for the Improvisació blend. He examines each plot’s output individually, allowing him to discern how each contributes to the overall blend. Here, we also discover another intriguing aspect of Enric’s wine-making. He employs a simple but effective temperature control system during fermentation: cold water tubes inserted into barrels. Enric jokes that it is a rustic setup, but one that works well.

A paradox of order and chaos, Enric Soler’s winery is a living labyrinth where art and science intertwine. He speaks fondly of the original part of the house where the first wines were made. As the winery grew, the building was expanded to for him to live alongside his creations. ‘Space for wine and space for people’, Enric noted, underlining his biodynamic philosophy of harmony.

A deeper look into Enric Soler’s mind

As we sat down to taste his wines, we delved deeper into his philosophy in the cellar. Soler is drawn to reduction and finds it an intriguing aspect of winemaking, but his stance is nuanced. His aim is not merely to produce wines that exhibit reduction but rather to work in a reductive environment. This distinction is not just semantic; it represents a fundamental shift in focus. The overarching goal is to protect the wine from oxidation, providing it with a protective shell, as it were, rather than seeking reduction for its own sake.

This philosophy of measured reduction comes to the fore in the creation of Improvisació. Enric explains how the cement egg used in the process offers a sealed environment to reduce exposure to oxygen. Moreover, he ensures the barrels are consistently full and sealed, advocating for a slight controlled reduction to achieve the desired character of the wine.

In Soler’s cellar, there is minimal manipulation. Since 2012, he has let the lees interact with the wines during the ageing process, without much disturbance. The result, he believes, is wines that are more accessible yet retain their capacity for ageing. This fresh and vibrant character of his wines, he argues, owes more to the lees than to the barrels.

The backbone of his wines is acidity, which he values more than alcohol content. Anything beyond 13.5% alcohol is deemed excessive for Xarel·lo. Wood, integrated judiciously, also forms a part of Soler’s wine matrix, adding another layer of complexity. However, it’s not the defining character. The intention is to enhance, not dominate the flavour profile. As he succinctly puts it, ‘Wood is there, but it is not the main character.’

Planting higher than anyone

We also got a more detailed view of his most audacious project. The Espenyalluchs vineyard, situated at an elevation of 350 meters above sea level, is an experimental plantation with an astonishing density of 2700 vines per hectare. This was unprecedented in Penedès, where conventional wisdom held that quality viticulture was impossible at such heights.

The origins of this project were modest. The vineyard site was formerly a barren field, a neglected slope that had been left fallow for years. Yet, the soils are composed of that exceptional blend of clay and large fragmented limestone rocks that give the best wines in Burgundy. Enric and his team started from scratch, opting for a massal selection of vines. They carefully matched the appropriate American rootstock and scion for each vine, a process as rigorous as it is laborious.

The 2021 Espenyalluchs, produced from this vineyard, attests to the success of Enric’s methods. This wine undergoes fermentation and maturation in 300-litre barrels, resulting in a remarkable yield of 4.6 litres per vine.

Tasting the 2021 Nun Vinya dels Taus

The 2021 Nun Vinya dels Taus was a game-changer for Enric, representing a moment of revelation. He recounts, ‘It was a turning point. A moment when I realised the sheer heights that this vineyard could reach. For me, it was a paradigm shift. It demonstrated that it was possible to push the boundaries of excellence even further.’ To be able to obtain this in relatively flat and deep soils, with a relatively ordinary composition of sand, clay and limestone makes this even more remarkable.

Enric’s cellar philosophy hinges upon an interplay of traditional and modern winemaking techniques. A noteworthy detail is his fondness for utilising a proportion of new oak. ‘I like the harmony it brings, yet it’s not an absolute’, he remarks, with a casual, understated authority. About 30% of the oak used is new, a touch that imparts a subtle, complex character to his cuvées, one that is welcoming to those familiar with 30%, 45% or even 60% new oak. In the past Nun also used to go through much more new oak.

Yet the 2021 Nun Vinya dels Taus remained a mysterious beauty for us, keeping its full range of flavors and aromas hidden, even after seven months of bottling. ‘It’s very precious, but still shy’, Enric says, referring to its nature.