Paul Cheneau French Flair and Catalan Tradition
Only an hour to the west of Barcelona, the Giró Ribot winery — which crafts Paul Cheneau Cava — is in the very center of Spain’s Penedès region. Equally as close to the glittering Mediterranean Sea and the famous vacation towns of the Costa Daurada (the Golden Coast), this renowned Cava producer sits in the shadow of the Montserrat, the jagged, dramatic mountain range that protects this part of Catalunya from the cold winds of the north.
The winery is owned by Catalan family Giró Ribot, whose roots in the Penedès date back to the 16th century. For generations they produced brandy, but in 1989, they were approached by a French consortium wanting to turn the distillery into a cellar. This was just three years after the inauguration of the Cava Denominación de Origen. The French wanted to bring their Champagne know-how to Catalunya at this key moment in Spain’s sparkling wine history.
The original Paul Cheneau Cava was created by French winemaker Arsène Beauny who imparted Champagne influence on the style of the wines. Since 2000, the winery has been solely in family hands and is now run by the second and third generations, Maria Rosa Giró and her son Eduardo. At the same time, the winery employed Joan Rovera Grau as winemaker. Having studied in Barcelona, Joan accumulated decades of experience working in wine projects throughout Spain and South America before returning to his native Catalunya.
The family believes in long aging to develop complexity. As such, they have adopted new Cava DO classifications which highlight various quality indicators — including the long aging time required to produce outstanding Cava. The Paul Cheneau Reserva is now labelled as Cava de Guarda Superior which guarantees a vintage wine, made from organic vineyards (with a minimum vine age of 10 years) and lower yields, with a minimum aging period of 18 months in bottle.
Terroir
The Penedès region is the beating heart of Cava production in Spain and enjoys a true Mediterranean climate. Some of the most important and traditional wineries can be found in the area in famous towns like Vilafranca del Penedès, Sant Sadurni d’Anoia, and Subirats — and the Giró Ribot family are counted among the best Cava producers in the region.
Since the region stretches inland from the coast, it is not surprising that it benefits from sea breezes which help moderate temperatures and prevent disease. And with the Montserrat mountains acting as a barrier to the colder winds from the north, the climate here is generally mild.
The region is broken down into three sub-zones, each with small differences in soils and climate. The Baix Penedès is closest to the sea, near Sitges, where it is warmer, and still wines are ripe and juicy. In the north, the Alt Penedès benefits from higher altitudes, so grapes here make fresher wines with bright acidity. But most of the vineyards destined for Cava production are in the Medio Penedès (also home to the Giró Ribot winery), where elevations can still reach 500 meters / 1,640 feet but where the valley is protected from weather extremes.
Viticulture
The Giró Ribot family estate covers 100 hectares / 247 acres of vineyards which are split across two estates, El Pont and Can Blas. Both vineyards are very close to the winery which helps the team bring their carefully hand harvested grapes to the winery more quickly, avoiding the risk of oxidation.
Some of the vines are very old, over 60 years of age, and trained in the traditional bush vine manner. Younger grapes have been planted on trellis systems and include both local and international grapes. The key varieties grown for sparkling wine production on the estate are macabeu, xarel·lo, parellada, as well as garnacha and pinot noir.
Spain has the highest volume of organically certified vineyards in the world. In line with this trend, in 2021 the Giró Ribot family completed organic conversion of their estate and all wines produced after this vintage are organic certified.
Paul Cheneau Cava Production Methods
Paul Cheneau Cava is known for its finesse, combining the complexity of traditional method sparkling wines with the bright fruit of local varieties. The winemaking team insists on very gentle handling of the grapes to maintain freshness and aromatic integrity. Using advanced technology, they only lightly press the grapes, and they use selected yeasts which enhance the autolytic profile. The resulting wines offer the balance and elegance of Champagne with a pure Penedès character.
