Venus de Cartoixà 2021

Venus la Universal is the personal project of Sara Perez and Rene Barbier.

This wine, Venus de Cartoixà, is made from the grape of the same name, which is used in the Montsant area for Xarel-lo. 60 year old vineyard, 0.5 ha plot located in Falset. The idea of making this wine arose when Sara decided to make a great Mediterranean white wine for cellaring.

Winemaking notes: naturally made, fermented in a large 600-liter French oak barrel for 3-6 months. Subsequent aging of 15 m in the same big barrels and further 2 years in bottle. The wine is released to market at the optimum drinking stage, although it has potential to further improve in the bottle. No sulphites are added (only those produced during fermentation).

Small production runs of less than 1,000 bottles per year. 2023 was an unusual vintage, with snowfall in January and a rainy, generally cooler summer, resulting in a wine that is less alcoholic, more austere and suitable for ageing. It is like a great Burgundy (according to Luis Gutiérrez, the critic for the Parker/Wine Spectator guide, who awarded it 96 points).