Pardas Aspriu 2019: xarel·lo takes its time
28 October 2026 · sommelier.vi.cat
There is a wild boar on the label and the wine is called Aspriu. It looks as though it might ask you a few questions before agreeing to be poured. Then you look at where it comes from and the conversation gets interesting: xarel·lo from a specific Penedès vineyard, with a vintage we can identify properly, 2019.
Penedès · Torrelavit on the map
Torrelavit, in Alt Penedès, provides a reference point for Pardas and the Riudebitlles valley. The map locates towns; it does not outline Can Comas or the La Lola vineyard.
Markers show reference towns, not vineyards. Sources: Celler Pardas · Natural Earth.
The bottle, without mixing up the relatives
Pardas Aspriu 2019 · Vinya La Lola is Celler Pardas’s white xarel·lo. That distinction matters because the winery also makes a red Aspriu. Same family name, different conversation in the glass. sommelier.vi.cat has confirmed this bottle’s vintage; it is not legible in his front-label photograph.
The producer’s 2019 entry records 100% xarel·lo, harvesting on 7 September, fermentation in used barrels, six months of ageing and a further three in tank. Bottling took place on 2 August 2020. These details belong to that harvest: decisions made in other years should not automatically be applied to this bottle.
Where exactly are we?
In the Riudebitlles valley, within Penedès in Catalonia. If Penedès brings only sparkling wine to mind, it is worth widening the frame. There are still whites, woodland, slopes and meaningful differences between lower land and higher sites. An appellation points you towards a place; it does not replace the landscape.
Pardas works at Can Comas, a patchwork of vines, woods and fields. Its white Aspriu comes from La Lola, a south-facing 1.2-hectare parcel with calcareous soils that include hardened horizons. The winery describes a Mediterranean environment with irregular rainfall and dry farming: the water arriving from the sky matters rather more than the photograph’s composition.
To understand this origin, think about the plant’s growing conditions. Aspect, soil depth and water availability influence development and grape ripening. They are not a recipe with an automatic result. Nor can we smell a glass and assign it to a geological layer with the certainty of someone reading a postcode.
La Lola lets us zoom in: from Penedès to a valley, from the valley to a vineyard, and from that vineyard to a harvest. The accompanying regional article follows that route and explains why xarel·lo deserves its own conversation, even when there are no bubbles involved.
My tasting: richness with someone at the wheel
In this bottle I find a bright, deep golden yellow. The white fruit feels ripe, with apple and pear alongside honey, balsamic notes, yeast and nuts. There is also a sensation I would describe as chalk or limestone: an aromatic comparison, rather than a soil analysis performed by my nose.
On the palate it feels dense, savoury and rich, but the acidity keeps things in order. There is weight without the wine simply parking itself halfway across the palate. I find the finish long, with a slightly tannic touch. For me this is a very attractive stage of maturity; that is an impression of this bottle, not a promise about every remaining 2019.
On the wine list at Jiribilla
This Pardas Aspriu 2019 is on the wine list at Jiribilla, our restaurant in Barcelona. Age-worthy xarel·lo belongs at the table too; a display cabinet is optional.
The winery on Instagram: @pardas_vins.
Sommelier’s note: start around 11–13°C and allow it to open in a generous white-wine glass. Mushroom rice or baked fish are suggestions for exploring food pairings, not combinations already tested with this bottle. Taste before deciding whether to decant.
Public sources consulted on 21 October 2026: Celler Pardas, Aspriu, 2019 entry; the estate and its surroundings. Photograph, vintage confirmation and confirmed tasting impressions: sommelier.vi.cat.