Can Sumoi 'Sumoll' Garnatxa

Can Sumoi is a collaboration between Pepe Raventós of the legendary Raventós i Blanc and his childhood friend Francesc Escala, who in 2016 revived a derelict 17th-century estate high in the Serra de Montmell in Baix Penedès. At 600 meters above sea level, surrounded by 380 hectares of forest with views stretching to the Mediterranean, it is as dramatic a setting as any wine estate in Catalonia. Their mission is deliberate and focused: recover nearly extinct indigenous varieties, farm biodynamically, and intervene as little as possible in the cellar. The Garnatxa Sumoll is the estate's calling card. An equal blend of two very different grapes: Sumoll, an almost vanished variety often described as the Mediterranean Pinot Noir, brings vivid acidity, wild fruit, and savory herbal complexity; Garnatxa contributes finesse, soft red fruit, and an open, generous character. Sumoll grapes come from lower altitude vineyards on shallow calcareous soils, while the Garnatxa is sourced from plots at 600 meters in the Montmell mountains where poor, stony terrain concentrates flavor. Fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel and aged twelve months in neutral tank, with no fining, no filtration, and no oenological additives. The result is a wine of real transparency and energy: a deep ruby with aromas of wild strawberry, cherry, boysenberry, violets, and a thread of Mediterranean scrubland. The palate is bright and lively, with mouthwatering acidity, barely-there tannins, and a freshness that makes it equally at home slightly chilled on a warm evening as it does alongside charcuterie, rice dishes, or grilled meats. One of the most compelling arguments for natural wine done with genuine precision.