Anima Mundi, Gres, D.O. Penedès, white wine, 0.75l

Anima Mundi is the experimental, low-intervention project of the talented Agustí Torelló Roca. Through additive-free processes carried out carefully in old barrels and amphorae, he produces some of the most interesting bottles from the region. These are wines that combine the energy of natural wine with a tradition passed down through generations, and they promise nothing but success in the future. Agustí Torelló Roca could be described as a prince of Cava, since he is a descendant of one of the leading, quality-focused family companies producing Cava in Penedès: Agustí Torelló Mata. However, together with his father and aunt, Roca has recently broken away both from the family company and from classic Cava in general. In search of better ways to express their beautiful terroir shaped by chalk and limestone, they found a home in DO Classic Penedès (incidentally, the very first designation to require organic certification of its applicants). From there, the Torellós built an ambitious operation with three divisions. Under the name AT Roca they produce their traditional-method sparkling wines within DO Classic Penedès. Anima Mundi is Roca's series of experiments in maceration and fermentation, largely free from DO requirements. And most recently, Compañía Vitícola Sileo was founded for terroir-driven expressions of red Garnatxa in DO Montsant. The unifying factor among these three is organically grown native grape varieties, old vineyards on high-altitude and predominantly coastal soils, and patient vinification with natural yeasts. The wines produced with this approach are at the forefront of contemporary Spanish winemaking and are a driving factor behind the newly discovered potential of Penedès.