The Heretat Ferrer de la Vall estate is located in the municipality of Piera in the Anoia at Catalonia, Spain.
There are records of the Ferrer de la Vall farmhouse since the 16th century. Historically, until the arrival of the phylloxera (in 1888), the estate was mainly dedicated to vine cultivation and only had about 2-3 Ha of forest and 1 Ha for the vegetable garden.
The estate consists of 130 Ha, of which 23 Ha is currently dedicated to dry vineyard, without irrigation.
The lands are of calcareous type, with gravel’s agglomeration and some clay-limestone outcrops.
The estate possesses a mild climate all year round, oriented to the south-east, and remains sheltered from the north winds in winter. In summer, the marinade arrives after midday (around 1 p.m.), bringing humidity and refreshing the vines. At the hottest months, the average temperature reaches 29ºC and about 2ºC at the coldest months, not suffering from many freezes in regular winters. The average annual rainfall is 606 liters.
The vineyards are located between 290 m and 325 m above sea level, in the municipality of Piera (Barcelona), within the Penedès DO demarcation. The vineyards also have the DO Cava and DO Cataluña recognition.
The estate's hectares are dry land without irrigation. Unlike what is more usual, we plant white varieties vineyards at the highest levels, since they are more delicate and need more ventilation to protect them from possible botrytis outbreaks. Through this strategy, the white varieties production decreases, and thus increases the quality and grade. For the red varieties vineyards, since they have better resistance, we plant them at lowest levels of the estate, thereby partially delaying the harvest.
All the estate's vineyards are vined with the royal system. We do a short pruning, leaving only two buds per head and just three heads on each arm. We do a manual pruning (green pruning) and we manually prune the grass as well as the shoots. For the most sensitive white varieties (Macabeo, Chardonnay and Malvasia) we perform occasional leaf removal to obtain more sunshine, and aeration for the grapes, while seeking a balance with the leaf area needed for a major transformation into sugars.
We handle the vineyards in an ecological way, always decreasing the maximum levels of inputs (copper and sulfur), trying to get the vines to acquire resistance by themselves. We have chosen not to plow the vines to create a vegetal cover: achieving a competition for water during winter and spring periods, limiting erosion, and maintaining the fauna that is beneficial to us. Only in some cases we passed the interceptions, trying to get the vines to reach a balance on their own, without forcing the plant to produce in a way that would lead to a quality decrease. We employ the technique of sexual confusion, by distributing pheromones in different points of the plots, against the woodworm. We mow the grass 2 or 3 times a year.
The vineyards have the organic production certificate (CCPAE).
We grow these varieties of grapes:
The Clot de les Soleres takes its name from one of the Heredad Ferrer de la Vall estate’s plots.
The farmhouse on the Ferrer de la Vall estate has been known since the 16th century. There are fermentation vats in the house, as a result of the various extensions made throughout the 16th and 17th centuries.
Around 1880, a separate building was built, dedicated to wine production, with fermentation vats and 1000-liter casks to store it. It is known that they had managed to transform around 1300 to 1800 loads of grapes into 1600 to 2000 Hl of wine, depending on the years.
When phylloxera reached Piera, around 1888, part of the land was abandoned due to economic problems and lack of labor. Throughout the 20th century, the wine production process was progressively decreasing until the end of the 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s. At that time, wine production ceased definitively on a commercial basis; and the decision was to sell all the grape production to the great cava producers in the area.
In 2000, we bet on recovering the old family tradition of winemaking by planting new vineyards.
In 2006 we renovated the old winery, preserving its structure, now with modern machinery and stainless steel tanks.
The winery's project was born from the desire to dignify fieldwork in the vineyard. The price of the grapes sold to larger wineries in the area does not recognize the work of the farmer or the grape quality. Thus, the project of making quality artisan wine started with the will to respect and reflect the work in the vineyards of Can Ferrer de la Vall. Clot de les Soleres produces exclusively with its own grapes.
In 2008 we released the first wine under the brand name Clot de les Soleres to the market.
At the Clot de les Soleres Winery, we exclusively make natural wines, which means: without removing or adding anything, without added sulfites or any other oenological additive. Our wines present different characteristics from one year to another, as an expression of the vineyards' climatic variation.
We carry out the whole process by ourselves to guarantee our product’s origin and quality:
- vines organic cultivation,
- manual harvest and boxed transportation,
- wine elaboration without using any kind of additives and following the biodynamic calendar,
- bottling and labeling.
All our vineyards are located within the Heretat Ferrer de la Vall estate, obtaining a very low production of a high-quality grape.
The vineyards are located in the municipality of Piera, and have a Mediterranean climate, warm and gentle, as well as many sunshine hours.
We are at 50 Km from Barcelona and 15 Km from Sant Sadurní d'Anoia.
GPS Coordinates Latitude: 41.50137412803559 Longitude: 1.7511097999389449
At the winery, we always work according to the biodynamic philosophy and calendar. We do all the internal work (transfers, bottling ...) seeking for the most beneficial day and moon. We like to work on a waning moon to preserve the wines. We prefer the flower day to enhance the Macabeo wines aroma. And we like the fruit day to boost freshness and the varietal point of the other grape varieties.
We exclusively make artisanal wines without additives, which are now called natural wines.
The wine is the product obtained exclusively from the alcoholic fermentation, whether total or partial, of fresh grapes, crushed or not, or of grape must.
Natural wine is wine made with and only with (this is important), fermented grape juice, as defined by the European Community regulation n° 479/2008 in its annex IV, entitled "Categories of grapevine products". Therefore, it is made without an endless list of authorized oenological products (selected yeasts, sulfites, enzymes, acids, bacteria ...).
We understood a natural wine as a wine without added sulfites or any other substance that can modify the organoleptic properties, such as yeast or artificial enzymes. Also, we do not add oenological additives. Neither is it subject to any sort of filtration or clarification.
Therefore, our wine is the result of grape fermentation in its purest state and is full of life.
Our wines are based on healthy and balanced bunches which are the outcome of very careful and respectful work in the vineyards, without any kind of herbicide, phytosanitary products, or synthetic chemical fertilizers. The grapes are hand-harvested, with voluntarily limited yields, prioritizing quality.
Our wines only contain grapes that have followed their natural process until arriving at the wine, without being modified in any way. This implies that each year the wine has different characteristics (smell, taste, color, etc.) making it an exclusive and unrepeatable product; depending on the rainfall (the total number of liters fallen that year) and the degree of ripeness of the harvested grapes, and the land where the vines grow, etc.
To preserve the wine with its exceptional qualities and keep it in optimal condition, we recommend to:
- Store in the coolest place possible (avoiding exposure to hot environments)
- Avoid the exposure of the bottles to direct sunlight
- Once opened, close the bottle tightly and keep it refrigerated until consumption is complete
These are our wines:
In production since the 2014 vintage
Description: 100% Xarel·lo. Not subject to filtration or clarification. Without oenological additives.
Elaboration: hand-picked grapes, transported in boxes, immediately whole pressed and without refrigeration. 24h of rest and transfer to stainless steel tank for fermentation. After 4-5 days, fermentation starts spontaneously, and we regulate the temperature to 17º. We bottle at a sugar density of 1015. The wine rests with lees for 13 months and then is disgorged as of October of the following year.
Number of bottles: 400
In production since the 2012 vintage
Description: 100% Xarel·lo. Not subject to filtration or clarification. Without oenological additives. Without added sulfites. The contained sulfites come from grape pulp and the fermentation prevents wine oxidation and bacterial contamination and allows preservation of the natural flavor.
Elaboration: hand-picked grapes, transported in boxes, immediately whole pressed and without refrigeration. 24h of rest and transfer to stainless steel tank for fermentation. After 4-5 days, the fermentation starts spontaneously, and we regulate the temperature to 17º. The wine rests all winter and is bottled according to the moon calendar in spring. The Xarel·lo is bottled on fruit day.
Number of bottles: 4500 (approx. according to vintage)
In production since the 2014 vintage
Description: 100% Macabeo. Not subject to filtration or clarification. Without oenological additives.
Elaboration: hand-picked grapes, transported in boxes, immediately whole pressed and without refrigeration. 24h of rest and transfer to stainless steel tank for fermentation. After 4-5 days, the fermentation starts spontaneously, and we regulate the temperature to 17º. We bottle at a sugar density of 1015. The wine rests with lees for 13 months and then is disgorged as of October of the following year.
Number of bottles: 400
In production since the 2011 vintage
Description: 100% Macabeo. Not subject to filtration or clarification. Without oenological additives. Without added sulfites. The contained sulfites come from grape pulp and the fermentation prevents wine oxidation and bacterial contamination and allows preservation of the natural flavor.
Elaboration: hand-picked grapes, transported in boxes, immediately whole pressed and without refrigeration. 24h of rest and transfer to stainless steel tank for fermentation. After 4-5 days, the fermentation starts spontaneously, and we regulate the temperature to 17º. The wine rests all winter and is bottled according to the moon calendar in spring. The Macabeo is bottled on flower day.
Number of bottles: 6000 (approx. According to vintage)
In production since 2018 vintage
Description: 100% Chardonnay. Not subject to filtration or clarification. Without oenological additives
Elaboration: hand-picked grapes, transported in boxes, immediately whole pressed and without refrigeration. 24h of rest and transfer to stainless steel tank for fermentation. After 4-5 days, the fermentation starts spontaneously, and we regulate the temperature to 17º. We bottle at a sugar density of 1015. The wine rests with lees for 13 months and then is disgorged as of October of the following year.
Number of bottles: 400
In production since 2012 vintage
Description: 100% Chardonnay. Not subject to filtration or clarification. Without oenological additives. Without added sulfites. The contained sulfites come from grape pulp and the fermentation prevents wine oxidation and bacterial contamination and allows preservation of the natural flavor.
Elaboration: hand-picked grapes, transported in boxes, immediately whole pressed and without refrigeration. 24h of rest and transfer to stainless steel tank for fermentation. After 4-5 days, the fermentation starts spontaneously, and we regulate the temperature to 17º. The wine rests all winter and is bottled according to the moon calendar in spring. The Chardonnay is bottled on fruit day.
Number of bottles: currently 6000 (approx. According to vintage). Until the 2016 vintage we produced 1,500 bottles.
In production since 2019 vintage
Description: 100% Malvasía. Not subject to filtration or clarification. Without oenological additives. Without added sulfites. The contained sulfites come from grape pulp and the fermentation prevents wine oxidation and bacterial contamination and allows preservation of the natural flavor.
Elaboration: hand-picked grapes, transported in boxes, immediately whole pressed and without refrigeration. 24h of rest and transfer to stainless steel tank for fermentation. After 4-5 days, the fermentation starts spontaneously, and we regulate the temperature to 17º. The wine rests all winter and is bottled according to the moon calendar in spring. The Malvasía is bottled on fruit day.
Number of bottles: currently 800 (approx. According to vintage).
In production since 2014 vintage, but it is not made every vintage.
Description: Table grapes. Not subject to filtration or clarification. Without oenological additives. Without added sulfites. The contained sulfites come from grape pulp and the fermentation prevents wine oxidation and bacterial contamination and allows preservation of the natural flavor.
Elaboration: hand-picked grapes, transported in boxes, immediately whole pressed, not refrigerated and without skins maceration. 24h of rest and transfer to stainless steel tank for fermentation. After 4-5 days, the fermentation starts spontaneously, without temperature control. The wine rests all winter and is bottled according to the moon calendar in spring. It is bottled on fruit day.
Number of bottles: 300
In production since 2017 vintage, but it is not made every vintage.
Description: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Not subject to filtration or clarification. Without oenological additives. Without added sulfites. The contained sulfites come from grape pulp and the fermentation prevents wine oxidation and bacterial contamination and allows preservation of the natural flavor.
Elaboration: hand-picked grapes, transported in boxes, immediately whole pressed, not refrigerated and without skins maceration. 24h of rest and transfer to stainless steel tank for fermentation. After 4-5 days, the fermentation starts spontaneously, and we regulate the temperature to 17º. We bottle at a sugar density of 1015. The wine rests with lees for 13 months and then is disgorged as of October of the following year.
Number of bottles: 400
In production since 2012 vintage, but it is not made every vintage.
Description: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Not subject to filtration or clarification. Without oenological additives. Without added sulfites. The contained sulfites come from grape pulp and the fermentation prevents wine oxidation and bacterial contamination and allows preservation of the natural flavor.
Elaboration: hand-picked grapes, transported in boxes, immediately whole pressed, not refrigerated and without skins maceration. 24h of rest and transfer to stainless steel tank for fermentation. After 4-5 days, the fermentation starts spontaneously, without temperature control. The wine rests all winter and is bottled according to the moon calendar in spring. It is bottled on fruit day.
Number of bottles: 1500 (approx. According to vintage)
In production since 2009 vintage, but it is not made every vintage.
Description: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Not subject to filtration or clarification. Without oenological additives. Without added sulfites. The contained sulfites come from grape pulp and the fermentation prevents wine oxidation and bacterial contamination and allows preservation of the natural flavor.
Elaboration: hand-picked grapes, transported in boxes, stalks removed immediately, without refrigeration. 2O days of maceration with the husks, bleeding (without pressing), and is transferred to stainless steel tank to finish its fermentation. We regulate the fermentation temperature to 21º. The wine rests all winter and is transferred to old oak barrels for aging (18 months or more). The Cabernet Sauvignon is bottled on fruit day.
Number of bottles: 1500 (approx. According to vintage)
In production since 2014 vintage
Description: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Not subject to filtration or clarification. Without oenological additives. Without added sulfites. The contained sulfites come from grape pulp and the fermentation prevents wine oxidation and bacterial contamination and allows preservation of the natural flavor.
Elaboration: hand-picked grapes, transported in boxes, stalks removed immediately, without refrigeration. 2O days of maceration with the husks, bleeding (without pressing), and is transferred to stainless steel tank to finish its fermentation. We regulate the fermentation temperature to 21º. The wine rests all winter and is transferred to old oak barrels for aging (18 months or more). The Cabernet Sauvignon is bottled on fruit day.
Number of bottles: between 1500 and 3000 (approx. According to vintage).
In production since 2008 vintage, but it is not made every vintage.
Description: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Not subject to filtration or clarification. Without oenological additives. Without added sulfites. The contained sulfites come from grape pulp and the fermentation prevents wine oxidation and bacterial contamination and allows preservation of the natural flavor.
Elaboration: hand-picked grapes, transported in boxes, stalks removed immediately, without refrigeration. 2O days of maceration with the husks, bleeding (without pressing), and is transferred to stainless steel tank to finish its fermentation. We regulate the fermentation temperature to 21º. The wine rests all winter and is transferred to old oak barrels for aging (18 months or more). The Cabernet Sauvignon is bottled on fruit day.
Number of bottles: 1500 (approx. According to vintage)
In production since 2019 vintage
Description: 100% Garnacha tinta. Not subject to filtration or clarification. Without oenological additives. Without added sulfites. The contained sulfites come from grape pulp and the fermentation prevents wine oxidation and bacterial contamination and allows preservation of the natural flavor.
Elaboration: hand-picked grapes, transported in boxes, immediately whole pressed, not refrigerated and without skin maceration. 24h of rest and transfer to stainless steel tank for fermentation. After 4-5 days, the fermentation starts spontaneously, without temperature control. The wine rests all winter and is bottled according to the moon calendar in spring. It is bottled on fruit day.
Number of bottles: 2500 (approx. According to vintage)