With nearly 500 years of history, Raventós Codorníu is the oldest winegrowing business in Spain, and one of the oldest in the world. Its enduring success has been built on an unwavering commitment to the core principles of great winemaking: respect for the land, the willingness to innovate, and a tenacious devotion to quality.
Among its 14 wineries are properties located in Spain’s most prestigious wine regions, including the most prized vineyards within those regions, along with distinguished wineries in the US and Argentina—each one achieving the purest expression of its terroir by creating wines that are honest, unique, and memorable.
At the end of the day, the most meaningful prize of all is found in each bottle—wines worthy of the spectacular places they represent.
Since its earliest days, Raventós Codorníu’s namesake winery has been synonymous with innovation and quality. In 1872, Josep Raventós Fatjó crafted the world’s first bottle of cava, and Codorníu was the first to add Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Using grapes from its family-owned vineyards, the company now produces a complete range of sparkling wines under its famed Anna de Codorníu brand, Spain’s #1 cava. It also maintains its longstanding reputation as a pioneer through the esteemed Ars Collecta brand, producing single-vineyard and ageworthy cavas from three different estates, each one in its own climate zone.
The capstone of the collection is 457 Gran Reserva, a long-cellared cava that audaciously blends Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Xarel·lo from three dramatically different terroirs. An homage to the number of harvests since the winery’s founding, the name serves as a testament to the time, care, and expertise required to create such an outstanding wine.
There is no Spanish wine region more iconic than Rioja, and the most prestigious location within its borders is Haro, the pinnacle of Rioja Alta. That’s where you will find Bodegas Bilbaínas, one of Rioja’s only château-style wineries and the largest vineyard owner in all of Haro. From this storied place comes Viña Pomal—a classic wine with more than a century of history behind every bottle; the first vintage, in 1904, even predates the establishment of the D.O. itself. The wine is made exclusively from grapes harvested from the spectacular vineyards that surround the 617-acre estate.
Viña Pomal’s Gran Reserva is the jewel in the crown—a stellar example of Rioja’s gran reservas, the region’s iconic long-aged wines—and is only produced when there are vintages worthy of the name. Predominantly Tempranillo with a hint of Graciano, Viña Pomal’s Gran Reserva originates on vines that average 25 years in age. The end result of the long barrel- and bottle-aging is a wine of exceptional nuance that directly reflects the land from which it has come.
Founded in 1163 by Carthusian monks, Scala Dei is Priorat’s oldest winery. Located in one of only two Spanish wine regions to earn the highest possible D.O. qualification (the other being Rioja), Scala Dei sets itself apart through its vineyards, where the average age of the vines is 45 years. It is the only Priorat winery with plots at a wide range of altitudes, including the region’s highest elevation, and the only one with multiple soil types, such as limestone, clay, and the region’s famous llicorella (slate).
The incredible variety and quality of Scala Dei’s vineyards, coupled with the reintroduction of traditional practices—natural fermentation with the stems, in cement tanks, and aging in large barrels—work together to capture the terroir’s extraordinary complexity. Such attention to detail is evident in wines like Cartoixa, which highlights Priorat’s leading varietals, Grenache and Carignan, grown on 60-year-old vines. Like all of Scala Dei’s fruit, Cartoixa’s grapes are harvested by hand, and each plot is fermented separately before blending, to produce wines of unparalleled quality.
THE TOP AWARD
Raventós Codorníu has scaled the heights of the wine world, garnering international recognition and awards too numerous to list here, but at the end of the day, the most meaningful prize of all is found in each bottle—wines worthy of the spectacular places they represent.
Celebrate responsibly. Imported from Spain by Raventós Codorníu, Sonoma, CA
CAMPAIGN FUNDED WITH AID FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION & SPAIN
Last Updated: May 5, 2023