Cisteller "Verbena" Catalonia, Spain 2022

FROM LA LUZ SELECTIONS:

THE WINE: 100% Manzoni Bianco. Our Verbena comes from a single block Manzoni Bianco (Incrocio). The vineyard is located in the serra del Montmell, at an altitude of 450 meters above sea level. The vineyard lays on calcareous-clay, deep soils. All of our fruit is certified organic by CCPAE. The fruit was hand harvested and selected in the vineyard, then whole- bunch pressed at very low pressure, followed by light racking. It fermented in a stainless steel tank at controlled temperature of 16-18°C. Following fermentation, the wine went through 8 months of sur-lie aging in tank. The wine was not cold or heat stabilized prior to bottling.

THE PRODUCER: Husband and wife nerds Jessica and Sergi began envisioning what has become Cisteller in the early days of their romance when they first met and fell in love as lab partners at UC Davis in California, circa 2015. Upon completion of their studies they traveled the globe, together and individually, working 15 different harvests in both hemispheres under the tutelage of world class misfits and maestros of winemaking. They learned practical insight into reductive winemaking in New Zealand, how to handle wine gently in the Mosel, ways to soften tannins in the Priorat, and also spent time working with the astounding wines of Marchand Tawse in the Côtes de O’r in Burgundy made by inimitable winemaker Pascal Marchand. They returned to Sergi’s home in Subirats in 2019 to make their dreams come true.

Cisteller means “Basket Weaver” in Catalan. The striking Cisteller labels feature a traditional hand-painted mercantile which historically adorned trade shops doors to showcase their goods inside- a dedication to Sergi’s family of ancestral basket weavers from the fishing village near Barcelona where Sergi grew up. The 2 birds are symbols of Sergi and Jess returning home to the family’s estate.