Manel Arinyó (aka the bubble man) is making some of the most exciting sparkling wines—not just in Spain but in the world. If you were to blindly taste Clos Lentiscus, it is a real probability that you’d think you were tasting grower Champagne. Pepe Raventós from Raventós i Blanc is a strong advocate that the Penedès terroir produces sparkling wines of profound mineral expression that can compete with the best in the world; Manel’s Clos Lentiscus cuvées greatly support Pepe’s case. In 2001, Manel and his brother Joan returned to their family’s 14th century estate Can Ramon after the death of their father. Conventionally farming the land, their father sold the fruit instead of commercially selling wine. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Can Ramon had a successful history of selling wine to France and the American colonies (factors such as the Spanish Civil War, phylloxera and industrialization ultimately lead to its decline). Clos Lentiscus was created to recover the brilliance the estate once enjoyed and to continue the work of past generations.
