2019: an excellent vintage that promises sparkling wines with exceptional ageing potential
On 7 October, the 2019 vintage came to a close with the reception of the grapes from the remaining Sumoll vineyards. It has been an excellent harvest which, thanks to the good health of the grapes, will be remembered as one of the best vintages in the area. The balance achieved over the ripening period has created musts with good ageing potential.
This year’s harvest began on 19 August with the earliest ripening grape varieties; followed by the Macabeu (24 August), Xarel·lo (28 August) and Parellada (10 September), can Llopart state’s three main varietals. The high-altitude mountain location of our vineyards induces a slower ripening of the grapes and the harvest is later than in the Penedès area.
The Heredad Can Llopart vineyards sit on terraces running over the Subirats slopes at between 310 and 510 metres altitude and enjoying a north-facing exposure, which provides protection when the sun is at its hottest. These are old vines, with an average age of 40 years, grown organically in calcareous soils and surrounded by Mediterranean pine and oak forest and wild scrubland in a classified “Area of Natural Interest”.
These features, together with the weather over the winegrowing year, have resulted in a well- balanced, slow ripening of the grapes. It has been a hot year, but the temperatures were moderate over the ripening period, thereby allowing a very good phenolic and alcoholic maturation to be obtained. The rainfall recorded has been slightly higher than the recent average (except for 2018, which was rainier). However, the rainfall has been very beneficial for the vineyards as it came at the right times: over October and November (creating water reserves for the following year) and on and off over May and July (which helped to mitigate the summer temperatures).