CAN VERDURA | CA´N XICATLÀ 2019 75cl

Ca'n Xicatlà 2019 is one of the most original creations by Can Verdura Viticultors. Created by Tomeu Llabrés, this unique white wine is made from Mantonegro Cabellis, an old selection of the Mantonegro variety that was practically extinct, now recovered to demonstrate the enormous potential of Mallorca's historical varieties.

Sourced from a single vineyard in Binissalem and crafted with a minimal intervention philosophy, this wine defies conventions by offering an elegant, mineral, and deeply Mediterranean interpretation of a variety traditionally used for red wines.

Characteristics

Winery: Can Verdura Viticultors

Winemaker: Tomeu Llabrés

Geographical Indication: Vi de la Terra Mallorca

Vintage: 2019

Wine type: Barrel-fermented white wine

Grape variety: 100% Mantonegro Cabellis

Alcohol content: 14% vol.

Production: 3,300 bottles and 30 Magnums

Aging: 9 months in 500-liter French oak barrels, 1 month on lees in stainless steel, and 4 months of bottle refinement

Format: 75 cl

The Vineyard

The grapes come from a single 1.01-hectare plot located on the Camí Vell de Muro, in Binissalem, where the gentle sea breezes of the embat moderate the Mediterranean climate.

The vineyard, planted approximately 45 years ago, consists of goblet-trained vines on the characteristic Call Vermell soils, a reddish iron-rich clay with abundant gravel that promotes drainage and provides a distinct mineral expression.

The Mantonegro Cabellis variety was widely cultivated during the mid-20th century due to its high production and sugar richness. Its peculiar ripening process, with bunches that can have white, pink, and red grapes on the same vine, eventually made it a practically forgotten rarity. Can Verdura is bringing it back through minimal intervention viticulture, maintaining natural cover crops and limiting treatments to the essential use of sulfur.

Winemaking

Harvesting is done manually in boxes of less than 15 kg.

After direct pressing in a vertical press, the must remains for four days in cold static settling with gentle daily stirring before being transferred to new and used 500-liter French oak barrels, where alcoholic fermentation takes place.

The high thermal inertia of the wood favors a slow and stable fermentation, reaching temperatures close to 22 ºC. No sulfites are added during this process, only at the end of fermentation.

The wine does not undergo malolactic fermentation, thus preserving all its natural freshness.

It then ages for 9 months in barrel, followed by one month on its lees in a stainless steel tank, with gentle periodic stirring, and finishes with 4 months of bottle rest before release.

Tasting Notes

It presents a brilliant golden yellow color with luminous reflections.

The nose offers a complex and elegant expression with ripe white fruits, Mediterranean flowers, delicate hints of stone fruit, mineral notes, and subtle spicy and toasted nuances perfectly integrated with the aging process.

On the palate, it stands out for its breadth and silky texture. The absence of malolactic fermentation maintains a vibrant acidity that balances the volume provided by the lees aging. The overall result is deep, fresh, and mineral, with a long, saline, and extraordinarily elegant finish.

Pairing

Ideal for baked fish, seafood, Mediterranean rice dishes, poultry, Asian cuisine, mushroom dishes, soft cheeses, and haute cuisine.

Recommended serving temperature: between 10 and 12 ºC.

Ca'n Xicatlà 2019 demonstrates that innovation can arise from the deepest roots of tradition. A unique white wine made from Mantonegro Cabellis that revives a forgotten part of Mallorca's viticultural heritage and transforms it into a complex, refined wine with an absolutely inimitable identity.