Oriol Artigas La Rauxa Pét-Nat

About Oriol Artigas La Rauxa Pét-Nat

Oriol Artigas La Rauxa Pét-Nat is an ancestral method sparkling wine made with Pansa Blanca and a little Garnatxa Blanca.

About Oriol Artigas, the Winemaker

Oriol Artigas came to winegrowing in a winding way. He wanted to be a chemist. But after working a harvest in Penedès, Oriol realized that a career in a laboratory wasn’t for him. He enrolled in an enology program soon after. Oriol then worked at several wineries across Catalonia. This led him to teach enology at the local university. Landing a steady job enabled Oriol to explore his true passion. He started a project revitalizing old coastal Alella vineyards. He also started making transparent, non-interventionist wines. These wines evoke the nearby Mediterranean, laced with garrigue and sea salt.​

About the Alella Wine Region

Located 15 kilometers north of Barcelona, Alella is a lesser-known region. Yet, it has one of those familiar stories in wine. This vineyard area dates back to Roman times. It was once renowned for producing exceptional wines. Thanks to the appetite for seaside real estate, has now shrunk down to very little vineyard land. At 220 hectares, Alella is one of Spain’s smallest D.O.’s. A cadre of growers set up shop here and work to protect this area from extinction. The proximity to the Mediterranean, granite soils called sauló, and a plethora of native (read old) vines has inspired them. There is no doubt that the quiet revolutionary Oriol Artigas is at the vanguard of this movement.

About Oriol’s Winemaking Philosophy

Oriol began making casual, simple wine to share amongst friends. But he started to realize his calling, devoting himself to a career in winemaking full time in 2011. Oriol loved how it allowed him to showcase his homeland and roots. And how it allowed him to meet new people and discover the world. Since the official start of the project, Oriol has continued to grow each year. He is always evolving and finding new ways to showcase the unique Alella terruño.

Oriol’s philosophy is to cultivate the vineyards in the most natural and least interventionist way possible. This allows the grapes to express in the most intense way the landscape from which they come.” He works about 12 hectares of old vines in total. Oriol allows vegetation to grow between the vines and prunes very little. He also works the vineyards along with the lunar calendar. In the winery, fermentations are completely spontaneous. Aging happens in steel vats, and sulfur is never used at any point in his process.

About the Wines

Oriol makes a wide variety of wines. These include sparkling, white, rosé, and reds. The color of the wine happens by which grapes grow in the vineyard. Ever restless, he is regularly adding to his repertoire of vineyards and wines. Oriol relies on the wisdom of the folks who planted these wild vineyards to make his cuvées. Each wine that Oriol produces has a beautiful refreshing texture with a subtle intensity of flavors. These are convivial Mediterranean wines with heart and soul.