Anna Martí Pitart has grown up immersed in wine and viticulture. Her father Francisco has been making wine at their family home since before she was born; his grandfather, Francisco Martí Estruch, was the last to bear the name that graces their ancient estate that was established in 1574: Ca N’Estruc. In collaboration with her father and in the tradition of their forebearers, Anna farms local varieties at Ca N’Estruc, blessed by Mediterranean breezes and sheltered from northern winds by the iconic Montserrat mountain range.
If this sounds idyllic, there is good reason! Their vineyards are healthy and vibrantly green, as the estate has embraced high quality, environmentally conscious agriculture. Under Anna’s father Francisco, the estate moved away from selling their wines in bulk in the 1980s and 1990s, replanted the estate to indigenous Mediterranean varieties and began vinifying their own wines in a newly built cellar. Their contiguous 22 hectares of vines are now biodynamically farmed, have been certified organic since 2012, and Anna has been working with local experts to pursue Biodynamic certification from Demeter since 2019.
Since 2013, Anna has been making her own wines under the Ca N’Estruc label working with grapes from selected plots on the family estate. Her goals with Ca N’Estruc BI (‘ALIVE’) are not to break with family tradition, but rather to focus on ancient, low intervention methods and smaller production quantities. The wines are made in a corner of the Ca N’Estruc cellar, where Anna works without additives, never filters or clarifies, and bottles only by gravity.
The Wines
Ca N'Estruc BI Ancestral is 100% Xarel-lo from organic and biodynamically farmed vines planted in 1957 on red clay and gravel soils. The vines are 270 meters above sea level. The grapes were harvested by hand, then 80% were pressed directly while the remaining 20% were destemmed. Fermentation started with native yeasts in 1,000L stainless steel tanks and finished in bottle in the ancestral method. The wine rested in bottle for 6 months on the lees without fining, filtering, or sulfur addition.
Ca N'Estruc BI Xarel-lo is 100% Xarel-lo from organic and biodynamically farmed vines planted in 1957 on red clay and gravel soils. The vines are 270 meters above sea level. The grapes were harvested by hand, then 90% were pressed directly while the remaining 10% were destemmed. All of the grapes fermented together in 1600L concrete egg, then rested in the same vessel for 5 months. Bottled without fining, filtering, or sulfur addition.
Ca N'Estruc BI Xarel-lo Macabeu Parellada is 80% Xarel-lo, 10% Macabeu, 10% Parellada from organic and biodynamically farmed vines planted in 1957 on red clay and gravel soils. The vines are 270 meters above sea level. The grapes were harvested by hand and pressed directly with the whole bunches. They then fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel tank, before transferring to rest for 7 months in a 1,600L concrete egg. Bottled without fining, filtration, or sulfur addition.
Ca N'Estruc BI Muscat is 100% Muscat from organic and biodynamically farmed vines planted in 2016 on alluvial and gravel soils. The vines are 165 meters above sea level. The grapes were harvested by hand, then 80% were pressed directly while the remaining 20% were destemmed. They then fermented with native yeasts in 1,000L stainless steel tanks, where the wine rested for 5 months after fermentation finished. Bottled in January without fining, filtration, or sulfur addition.
Ca N'Estruc BI Garnatxes is 50% Grenache Blanc & 50% Grenache Noir from organic and biodynamically farmed vines planted in 2007 on alluvial and gravel soils. The vines are 165 meters above sea level. The grapes were harvested by hand, then 70% were pressed directly while the remaining 30% were destemmed and fermented on the skins. Cofermented with native yeasts in 1,000L stainless steel tanks, where the wine rested for 5 months after fermenting. Bottled in January without fining, filtration, or sulfur addition.
Ca N'Estruc BI Garnatxa i Muscat is 70% Grenache, 30% Muscat from organic and biodynamically farmed vines planted in 2007 and 2016 on alluvial and gravel soils. The vines are 165 meters above sea level. The grapes were harvested together by hand, then 70% were pressed directly while the remaining 30% were destemmed and fermented together with native yeasts in 1,500L stainless steel tank, where the wine rested for 3 months after fermenting. Bottled in without fining, filtration, or sulfur addition.