Our Story

From historical documents about Can Codorníu, we know that in 1497 our ancestors were already growing grapes here for their own consumption and producing must for commercial purposes. This probably represents the longest winegrowing tradition in Europe owned by a single family. Our winery is located at the centre of the estate.

It was Josep Raventós Fatjó who, when he went to the Champagne region in 1872, made the first sparkling wine with the second fermentation in the bottle, at all times using native grapes from our estate.

In 1888, at the end of the 19th century, Manuel Raventós Domènech established the coupage for the Penedès sparkling wine using exclusively native varieties: Macabeu, Xarel·lo and Parellada, a coupage that is still made today. He also spent his time to selecting the best vines of these native varieties, which form the basis for the vineyards that produce our wines today.

One of the most influential figures of the last century was, undoubtedly, Josep Maria Raventós i Blanc, heir of the Raventós Estate and Can Cordorniu; responsible for the expansion of Codorníu in the 1960s, promoter and creator of the Cava DO; he dreamed of producing a high-quality sparkling wine. He strived to secure the prestige of cava and in 1986, he founded the Josep Maria Raventós i Blanc winery, located in the centre of this historical estate. His dream was to restore the link between man and nature, and to aim for sparkling wines of the highest quality.

In 1986, Manuel Raventós i Blanc produced the first estate cava.

The Current Generation

PEPE RAVENTÓS

Dynamic, energetic and a lover of the world of wine and viticulture, Pepe Raventós joined Raventós i Blanc in 2001, but his association with the world of cava goes back to when he was young and spent his summers picking grapes at Sant Sadurní, where twenty-one generations of his family have lived since the end of the 15th century. His life has been marked by social work, but above all by wine. From a very young age, he spent hours working in the fields at Saint Émilion, learning to produce red wine. He gained experience in producing wine with Didier Dagueneau in the Pouilly-Fumé AOC in the Loire Valley; Nicolas Chiquet in Dizy in the Champagne wine region, and Jean-Patrick Merignac in Saint Philippe d'Aiguille in Bordeaux. A lover of nature, animals and the farm, he strives for excellence in everything he does. A man of great conviction, a fighter and a dreamer, his every-day life is full of significance because he knows he is working for future generations.

THE OBJECTIVE

To follow his grandfather's dreams and make them come true

Highly committed and determined to make Raventós i Blanc one of the best producers of sparkling wines in the world. He has one goal: to ensure Raventós i Blanc wines have their own name. He works tirelessly to give the sparkling wines of this area prestige and their own unique personality.

"We don't want perfect wines, we want authentic wines"

A NEW CHALLENGE

In 2012, he decided that Raventós i Blanc should leave the Cava DO
This coincided with the decision to create the Conca del Riu Anoia DO, because he strongly believes that there is an opening for wines like ours: authentic, coming from a single estate, a specific climate, native grape varieties and rigorous, precise and respectful winegrowing.

"I think that every generation should start from scratch, following their dreams, not just doing the same old things that have been done before"

Winegrowing

Strict winegrowing requirements that help us pass on and learn more about our viticulture tradition, the strength of our land, the typicity of our grapes and the characteristics of our soils. And the greatest of care in the production of our wines using the traditional method.

Our soils have a particular geological history that began 40 million years ago, when the European and African continental plates collided and, as a result, the main mountain ranges of Europe and Catalonia were formed: the Pyrenees, the Pre-Pyrenees and the Coastal and Pre-Coastal Ranges.

Later, 20 million years ago, Corsica and Sardinia became detached from the continent and the Vallès Penedès depression was formed. At that time, the valley was covered by the Mediterranean Sea and this continued to be the case for 4 million more years until at least 16 million years ago. Subsequently, the estuary of the River Anoia dried up, leaving behind enormous deposits of carbonated marine life (fossils) within the limestone bedrock. This is what gives our soils such a unique personality.

Our Estate

The Raventós family, a leading, world-renowned winegrowing dynasty, has lived on this estate since 1497 at the very least. Twenty-one generations have worked this land, 90 hectares of vines, forest and lake, with a specific microclimate influenced by the river, a lake, two streams and a hill known as the Turó del Serral.

Our soils were formed over 16 million years ago. They are calcareous with marine fossils, and this provides the ideal conditions for producing wines with a potent mineral expression.

The River Anoia, the Turó del Serral, the Raventós i Blanc Lake and the woods on our estate have created unique soil and climate conditions.

Aspects that form part of the characteristics of the Anoia River Basin, a name that evokes a small, specific part of the world of about 7,000 hectares between the Montserrat Massif and the Coastal and Pre-Coastal Ranges - where all our wines are born.

More than twenty generations of accumulated experience cultivating the same land means we have an exhaustive and detailed knowledge of each of our vineyards.

The estate is divided up into a total of 44 plots, and each one has its own personality.