Cisteller Xarel.lo 2023
Regular price
$73.00
BoundbyWine
120 Tembeling Road
#01-01
Singapore 423619
Singapore
Cisteller Xarel·lo 2023
A lab experiment gone right — the couple who accidentally made a great wine while trying to ruin one, now farming great-grandfather's mountain vines nobody else wanted.
Grape Varietals & Region: 100% Xarel·lo from three separate blocks on extremely calcareous, limestone-clay soils — two within the family's Muntanyes d'Ordal estate, a third in the stonier, warmer Massís del Garraf. The vines sit around 300m above sea level in Penedès, Catalunya, on soils Sergi Canals and Jessica Madigan describe as strikingly similar to Chablis and parts of Champagne — low pH, rich in limestone and soft marls, land Sergi's family held onto because nobody else wanted 'mountain land.'
Taste Profile: Vibrant and saline, with real volume and power for a Xarel·lo — a low-yielding, drought-stressed vintage concentrated the fruit, and the mix of steel, concrete and Hungarian oak adds a touch of creaminess and oak spice without burying the wine's natural cut. Luis Gutierrez scored the 2023 92 points for Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, calling it 'a vibrant white with salinity and concentration... more volume, more power, still a little creaminess and a little more oak than the others.'
Winemaking Process: Whole-bunch pressed at low pressure with no maceration, then fermented separately by plot — some in stainless steel, some in concrete amphorae, some in Hungarian oak barrels — with indigenous yeast via a pied de cuvée starter. Each lot aged sur lie through fall and winter with plot-specific bâtonnage, before being blended into tank in spring to integrate ahead of bottling. Just 5,278 bottles made. The estate's low-pH, low-malic-acid soils mean the wine avoids malolactic conversion naturally, without any winemaking intervention to prevent it.
Winemaker: Sergi Canals grew up in Penedès; Jessica Madigan, American, met him as her lab partner at UC Davis — their first assignment was to deliberately spoil a wine with bacteria, and it came out glorious instead. They founded Cisteller in 2019 on 'mountain land that nobody wanted': vineyards Sergi's family held onto because they sat too high and too poor for the region's commercial, high-yielding vines. What they found instead was limestone-rich, low-pH soil they compare to Chablis and Champagne. In 2024, Cisteller became the 13th winery admitted to Corpinnat — the breakaway growers' collective that left Cava behind to guarantee estate-grown, hand-harvested, site-specific sparkling wine, audited unannounced during harvest to prove it. 'Cisteller' means 'basket weaver,' after Sergi's family trade; today the couple farm their great-grandfather's vineyards with their own two children in tow.
Country
Spain
Region
Penedes, Catalunya
Maker
Cisteller
Style
Dry & Yeasty White
Winery Practices
Organic Wines
Key Techniques Used
Direct Press
Maturation Medium
Oak Barrels
Aging Duration
7-12 Months
Primary Taste
Stone Fruit and Mineral
Secondary Taste
Creamy / Buttery and Toasted
Acidity
High
Dryness
Very Dry
Food Pairing
Meaty & Oily Fish
Key Highlights
Winery
Winery
Cisteller
Started in 2019, Jessica & Sergi took over his family vineyards, planted on the "Mountain land that nobody wanted"/ With soils reminiscent of Chablis & select parts of Champagne, they became the 13th member of Corpinnat in 2024
Classification
Classification
Premium Wines & Premier Crus
Premier Cru is a designation of classified vineyards. While countries often have their own representation, it generally refers to a vineyard / sub-region that is recognised as producing high quality classic wine styles
Have some questions?
Common questions about how our wine shop in Singapore works
You bet we do! No matter where you are on our sunny island, we’ve got you covered. No matter where you are in Singapore, our wine delivery service will bring your favourite bottles right to your doorstep. Just sit back, relax, and let the wine come to you.
Please see our Shipping Policy for the full details
You bet we do! No matter where you are on our sunny island, we’ve got you covered. No matter where you are in Singapore, our wine delivery service will bring your favourite bottles right to your doorstep. Just sit back, relax, and let the wine come to you.
Please see our Shipping Policy for the full details
Same Day Delivery is possible for orders between Tuesday - Sunday, and is conditional on whether we have the wines available at our storefront. Look out for products listed here
Select "Local Delivery" shipping option upon checkout, and orders made by 6PM would be able to be delivered same day
Perfect for those last-minute dinner parties or when you simply can’t wait to order wine online and uncork that bottle.
Otherwise, we provide a cheaper Standard Delivery option that would have your wines delivered within 3 business days
Please see our Shipping Policy for the full details
Same Day Delivery is possible for orders between Tuesday - Sunday, and is conditional on whether we have the wines available at our storefront. Look out for products listed here
Select "Local Delivery" shipping option upon checkout, and orders made by 6PM would be able to be delivered same day
Perfect for those last-minute dinner parties or when you simply can’t wait to order wine online and uncork that bottle.
Otherwise, we provide a cheaper Standard Delivery option that would have your wines delivered within 3 business days
Please see our Shipping Policy for the full details
Absolutely! Wine makes the best gift—whether it’s for a birthday, anniversary, or just because.
Simply enter the lucky recipient’s details at checkout, and we’ll deliver the goods with a smile.
Want to make it extra special? We’ve got you covered with gift-wrapping options and accessories like stylish gift boxes. And if you’re looking to really impress, our gift hampers are packed with wine and goodies that’ll make their day!
Absolutely! Wine makes the best gift—whether it’s for a birthday, anniversary, or just because.
Simply enter the lucky recipient’s details at checkout, and we’ll deliver the goods with a smile.
Want to make it extra special? We’ve got you covered with gift-wrapping options and accessories like stylish gift boxes. And if you’re looking to really impress, our gift hampers are packed with wine and goodies that’ll make their day!
We hate the disappointment of opening an off-drinking bottle of wine – as much as a kid seeing their scoop of ice cream fall to the ground (Yes, it hurts).
Simply contact us within 7 days of receiving your wines to let us know why you’re not satisfied and drop off the remaining unused wines back to us. The bottle will have to be at least 3/4 full and the same wine the bottle is in (duh).
Once we verify that the the wine was corked or damaged, we will process the refund.
Please see our Return Policy for the full details
We hate the disappointment of opening an off-drinking bottle of wine – as much as a kid seeing their scoop of ice cream fall to the ground (Yes, it hurts).
Simply contact us within 7 days of receiving your wines to let us know why you’re not satisfied and drop off the remaining unused wines back to us. The bottle will have to be at least 3/4 full and the same wine the bottle is in (duh).
Once we verify that the the wine was corked or damaged, we will process the refund.
Please see our Return Policy for the full details
