Spain · Penedès

Caves Vilarnau

Organic, dry Cava from Penedès, shaped by traditional grapes and long bottle ageing.

The producer

Caves Vilarnau works from Finca Can Petit in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, around 40 kilometres from Barcelona. Damià Deàs and Eva Plazas make Cava from estate vineyards and long-term family-grower contracts, using Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada alongside Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The commercial cellar dates to 1949; the current winery opened in 2005.

Its Brut Nature Cavas receive no added sugar after disgorgement, so citrus, white fruit and floral notes carry the palate. The Reserva spends more than 24 months in bottle, bringing creamy mousse, custard and bakery notes; longer-aged Gran Reserva adds yeast, toast, herbs and a broader texture.

Known for

Organic Brut Nature Cava with extended lees ageing

Notable facts

The story

The winery that brought harvest home

When Eva Plazas joined Vilarnau in 1996, its cellar in the centre of Sant Sadurní d’Anoia was too small to receive grapes properly. The vineyards were already there, but winemaking had to be completed at an external facility, so the team did not control the whole journey from harvest to bottle. In 2005, Vilarnau opened its own winery at Finca Can Petit, at the highest point in town and about 200 metres above sea level, looking across the vineyards toward Montserrat. Grapes could then be received and vinified where the Cava team worked, before the wines were bottled for secondary fermentation and lees ageing.

From the atlas

Caves Vilarnau

At A Glance

Caves Vilarnau makes organic Brut Nature Cava at Finca Can Petit in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, Penedès. Damià Deàs and Eva Plazas lead winemaking, using traditional Cava grapes alongside Chardonnay and, in the Gran Reserva, Pinot Noir. The range is dry, bottle-fermented and shaped chiefly by time on lees: more than 24 months for the Reserva and more than 36 months for the Gran Reserva.

The Producer

Vilarnau’s commercial cellar dates to 1949. González Byass acquired the business in 1982, and the present winery opened in 2005. From Finca Can Petit, the team makes around one million bottles from 120 hectares, joining estate fruit with grapes from smaller family growers on long-term contracts. This scale supports a clear split between a citrus-and-bakery Reserva and a longer-aged Gran Reserva with more yeast, toast and breadth.

Place

Sant Sadurní d’Anoia sits in Penedès, around 40 kilometres from Barcelona, at the centre of Catalan Cava production. Vilarnau’s local grapes explain the core of its bottles: Macabeo supplies body, aroma and acidity; Xarel-lo brings fruit and structure; Parellada adds floral notes, acidity and a lighter frame. Chardonnay broadens the Reserva’s middle palate, while Pinot Noir joins the Gran Reserva for extra fruit and weight.

Soil And Site

The verified picture at Vilarnau is stronger on position and climate than on named soil types. Its 2005 winery stands at about 200 metres above sea level, overlooking vineyards toward the Montserrat Mountains. In Penedès’s dry conditions, preserving acidity is central to a dry sparkling wine, so the house’s blends rely on Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada to keep citrus fruit and freshness present beneath bottle-aged lees character.

Story

Eva Plazas has worked with Vilarnau since 1996, through the shift from a smaller cellar in town to the current Finca Can Petit winery. The 2005 opening put grape reception and winemaking together at the estate, allowing the team to handle each variety separately before blending. The result is visible in the Reserva: Macabeo, Parellada and Chardonnay can each bring a distinct part to a dry Cava rather than arriving as an undifferentiated base wine.

Vineyards And Cellar

Vilarnau farms its own vineyards and tends parcels belonging to contracted family growers during the year. It gained organic certification in 2016 and changed fining from animal protein to pea or potato protein, making the Cavas vegan-friendly. In the 2022 Brut Nature Reserva, varieties are vinified separately, fermented over 30 days, blended, bottled for secondary fermentation and then aged on lees for at least 24 months. That sequence builds fine mousse, dry structure and bakery notes around white fruit rather than relying on sweetness.

Wines

Brut Nature Reserva is the immediate, dry tier: 50% Macabeo, 35% Parellada and 15% Chardonnay, with more than 24 months in bottle. Its Macabeo and Chardonnay bring body and white-fruit weight, while Parellada helps keep the palate floral and bright. Expect citrus, white fruit, dried fruit and flowers with custard, honey and toast from lees ageing.

Brut Nature Gran Reserva Vintage extends the cellar time and expands the blend. The current specification uses Macabeo, Parellada, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with more than 36 months in bottle; the 2018 bottling spent 48 months in bottle and used 35% Macabeo, 30% Parellada, 30% Chardonnay and 5% Pinot Noir. Longer lees contact moves the wine toward yeast, butter, toast, smoke and Mediterranean herbs, with a broader texture and a dry finish.

In The Glass

Start with the Reserva’s citrus, pear-like white fruit and flowers, then look for custard and fresh bakery under the fruit. The mousse is creamy rather than sweet, because Brut Nature receives no added sugar after disgorgement. Acidity keeps the body moving through the palate, while lees ageing leaves toast, honey and dried-herb detail on the finish.

The Gran Reserva carries white fruit and white flowers too, but four years in bottle on the 2018 release adds yeast, butter, smoke and toast. Its bubbles feel more integrated, and the palate has more weight from the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir component. Fresh acidity prevents the savoury, creamy notes from becoming heavy, leaving aromatic herbs and white fruit at the close.

A Bottle To Understand It

Choose Vilarnau Brut Nature Reserva Organic 2022. It puts the house’s working parts in one bottle: organic vineyard practice, vegan fining, separate vinification of Macabeo, Parellada and Chardonnay, then at least 24 months of bottle ageing. It is dry and 11.5% alcohol, with citrus and white fruit on a creamy mousse, followed by floral notes, custard, bakery and toast. The wine shows how Vilarnau uses a long-aged Cava method while keeping the palate light enough for an aperitif or seafood.

Anecdote

When Eva Plazas joined Vilarnau in 1996, the cellar in the centre of Sant Sadurní d’Anoia was too small to receive grapes properly. Vilarnau had vineyards, but the winemaking had to be finished at an external facility, leaving the team without control of the whole route from harvest to bottle. In 2005, Vilarnau inaugurated its own winery at Finca Can Petit, at the highest point in town and about 200 metres above sea level, with views across the vineyards toward Montserrat. Grapes could then be received and vinified at the same site where the Cava team worked, before bottle fermentation and lees ageing began.

Final Word

Vilarnau is worth seeking out for dry Cava whose character is easy to trace: Penedès grapes bring citrus, floral lift and body; bottle ageing brings mousse and bakery notes; longer ageing carries the Gran Reserva into toast, herbs and smoke. Begin with the Reserva, then compare it with the Gran Reserva when the extra lees-derived weight is wanted.

Sources

Open Caves Vilarnau in the interactive map →