Celler 9+ - 'Blanc 1r' - Xarel-lo, Macabeau - Taragona, Catalonia, ES - 2024

Notes from the Winery/Importer

Grapes (2025): 75% Cartoixà (aka Xarel-lo), 25% Macabeu Vineyards: certified organic. Sandy loam soils Making of (2025): Grapes are destemmed and pressed. After settling (debourbage) for 24 hours, the clear must is racked into stainless steel tanks, where it ferments naturally for 18-20 days at low temperatures. The wine spends 9 months in tanks with weekly lees-stirring (batonnage) to obtain a lush, smooth texture. No fining or filtration, no sulfur added. Personality (2025): Nuances of quince and honey accompany the usual yellow peach, apricot and tropical fruits like pineapple, lychee and papaya. Generous, well-structured palate with zesty citrus freshness. A wine to enjoy every day, on its own or with light dishes like salads, fish, or vegetables.

Notes on the Producer

Consciously Catalan Location: La Nou de Gaiá, Tarragona province, Catalonia, Spain Owner & winemaker: Moisès Virgili Vineyard area: 19 hectares (out of the total 35ha farm) across 14 different plots, estate-owned or in long-term rental + occasional fruit purchase Vineyard management: organic-certified (by CCPAE – Catalan Council of Organic Production), regenerative and biodynamic practices Soils: diverse depending on the given vineyard, mostly sandy loam, calcareous and light soils Main varieties: Cartoixà (aka Xarel.lo), Cartoixà Vermell (aka Xarel.lo Rosado), Macabeu, Garnatxa Winemaking: Spontaneous fermentation only. No fining or filtration, no sulfur added Annual production (approx): 75,000 bottles

• The Celler 9+ vineyards are located only a few kilometers from the Mediterranean coast and benefit from its warm and mild climate – there’s enough rainfall, and the constant breeze called Marinada cools off and dries the grapes, helping them to stay healthy and ripen evenly.
• The farm focuses on indigenous grapes and maximum sustainability. As Celler 9+’s winemaker asserts, “Our philosophy is that the future will be environmentally friendly and sustainable … or there won’t be one at all.”
• Besides grapes, Moisès’ farm also cultivates other traditional Mediterranean crops like olives, carob and grain.
• The name Celler 9+ refers to Nou de Gaià, the village where the winery is located – Nou in Catalan means New and also the number nine. And the plus sign symbolizes positivity and the will to grow.
  Moisès Virgili is a farmer born and bred – coming from a farming family in La Nou de Gaià, a small town near the city of Tarragona some 60 miles south of Barcelona, he grew up surrounded by vineyards, olive groves and carob trees. Since childhood, he’s dreamed of having a winery showcasing this unique Mediterranean heritage while working as naturally as possible.
  “We believe that making organic, sulfite-free wines is more than a whim or an invention, but a necessity,” Moisès explains. “The pollutants that are present not only in the air we breathe, but in everything we eat, the clothes we wear, the materials we use make us sick, weaken us, make us vulnerable. Going back to the origins is part of this process of change: cultivating the land with respect, making wines by listening to them, opening the senses to those around us.”
  Moisès studied enology and then gathered experience all around the world, from Chile to South Africa, or other cellars located in different areas of Catalonia: Priorat, Penedès or Conca de Barber. In 2010, in the midst of an economic crisis, he finally decided to launch himself into the adventure. Celler 9+ was born with the idea of developing a diverse range of wines expressing indigenous grapes like Cartoixà (the local name for Xarel-lo, the classic Catalonian grape) or Sumoi.
  What started as a garage operation with the support of Moisès’ friends and family gradually flourished into a 35-hectare operation, half of which is dedicated to vines and the other half to a mix of olives, grains and carob trees. Everything is farmed organically – “Our philosophy is that the future will be environmentally friendly and sustainable … or there won’t be one at all,” Moisès says solemnly – and uses many regenerative and biodynamic techniques.
  The soils are fertilized for four months with plant infusions and matured manure from a nearby dairy farm. Biodynamic preparations 500 and 501 as well as other immunizing concoctions are used in order to improve plant and soil health: “I don’t consider us a biodynamic cellar; we’re closer to the regenerative farming philosophy. But the label is not important, what matters is that we continuously search for techniques to reverse climate change, striving to restore the organic matter and biodiversity of the degraded soil.”
  In the cellar, Moisès applies a similarly common-sense and purist approach: “We’ve always been committed to leaving preservatives behind; we don’t like antiseptics, and that’s why we don’t use sulfur in most of our wines. We strive to make conscious wines so that you can enjoy them with family, friends or all by yourself, without fearing the consequences that a poorly made wine has on you the morning after,” the winemaker laughs. “After all, we’re drinking the wines ourselves. And we seek to make everything fair and balanced. Everything in its right place…”
  -Jenny & Francois Imports

  Grapes & Style

  Xarel-lo

  Xarel-lo is a Catalan white grape and one of the traditional pillars of Cava, alongside Macabeu and Parellada. It has also become increasingly important for still wines and more serious sparkling wines because it brings structure, acidity, and a savory Mediterranean character.

  In the vineyard, Xarel-lo tends to keep acidity well in warm conditions and can produce wines with notable texture and phenolic grip. Those traits make it especially useful for sparkling wine that needs freshness and backbone, but also for still whites with more substance than simple fruit.

  In the glass, Xarel-lo often shows lemon, apple, fennel, herbs, almond, hay, and a salty or chalky edge. The best versions are dry, structured, and quietly complex, with a savory finish that makes them very flexible with food.