Celler Pardas

  • Penedès, Spain
Celler Pardas

Celler Pardas started when two growers from Penedès, Ramon Parera, and Jordi Arnan, acquired an old estate called Can Comas in Alt Penedès, close to Sant Sadurni d’Anoia. The property surrounds an old medieval farm and spans 30 hectares of forest and other crops (mainly cereal) as well as the local grape varieties—Sumoll and Xarel-lo—that Ramon and Jordi planted for their wines. The other source of fruit for the wines comes from two ancient plots further north, where they own old vines of Sumoll, Xarel-lo, and Malvasía de Sitges; Ramon calls this fascinating local strain of Malvasía, an incredibly acidic grape notoriously difficult to vinify, the “Riesling of the Mediterranean”.

From the start the work on the land focused on a holistic approach; they manage the forest surrounding the vineyards as well as the land bordering them to create a whole agrarian ecosystem and live on the property. Many biodynamic principles are followed: the vines are dry-farmed, and the clay-limestone-rich soils are not plowed to avoid erosion and foster the micro-biology of the place. They regularly use ground vegetation, and no synthetic products or pesticides are utilized. Their work is certified organic.

Ramon and Jordi are in the forefront of the varietal revolution happening in Penedès. The story of native grapes in the region is not unlike many others in different areas: the local varieties, deemed hard to work and less valuable than international ones, were slowly substituted by high-yielding types. Many of the new generations of growers in the area, however, decided to replant and work with the original grapes. Pardas' plantings all come from cuttings of old vines found in the region.

The work in the cellar is as respectful to the wines as their work on the vineyards is to the land. Fermentations are spontaneous, the wines are never clarified nor corrected, and they use a mix of steel, concrete, and oak for winemaking and élèvage. The resulting wines are expressive and very direct. Sumoll is not an easy grape to master—“the most masochistic grape there is”, says Jordi— but as the Sus Scrofa shows, Parera and Arnan have conquered its rusticity and are making a delicate, fresh, and immediate wine. The same goes for their Xarel-lo and Malvasía, which are floral and aromatic and yet retain great salinity and minerality, no doubt owing to the chalky and rocky nature of their vineyards.
 

Small Scenes from Celler Pardas Harvest 2021
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Harvest at Cellar Pardas, September 2019.
Image Producer PRODUCT Description Country / Region

DB4199-19
Organic
Celler Pardas "Hermos" Corpinnat
2019
Xarel-lo
Pardas wanted to create a blend that captured each of their plots, highlighting the subtle nuances of the clay and limestone soils used.  A...
Spain

DB2397-20
Organic
Celler Pardas Pur Xarel-lo
2020
Xarel-lo
100% Xarel-lo from 40-year-old vines on clay and limestone soils. Grapes are hand harvested, lightly crushed destemmed and fermented in...
Spain

DB2395-22
Organic
JG:90
Celler Pardas Rupestris
2022
Xarel-lo
A blend of 80% Xarel-lo and 20% Malvasía de Sitges. The Xarel-lo comes from 50-year-old vines planted on chalky and clay soils, while the...
Spain

DB2398-21
Organic
Celler Pardas Blau Cru
2021
Malvasia
100% Malvasía de Sitges planted in 1999 on rich alluvial soils. Grapes are hand harvested, lightly crushed and fermented/aged in stainless...
Spain

DB2400-22
Biodynamic
Celler Pardas Rosado (Sumoll)
2022
Sumoll
The tiny production is made of 50% free-run juice and 50% one-day maceration. Like all other wines from Pardas, it is made from organic...
Spain

DB2401-22
Organic
Celler Pardas Pell a Pell
2022
Xarel-lo
100% Xarel-lo. Vines are grown in chalk and clay soils from the Sant Pere and Canyes vineyards. Grapes are farmed organically, foot stomped...
Spain

DB2396-22
Organic
Celler Pardas Sus Scrofa
2022
Sumoll
100% hand harvested Sumoll from four different plots of clay and chalk soils. 50% whole cluster, vinified in concrete tanks with indigenous...
Spain