Pep Jiménez works every day in a unique office: the Juvé & Camps vineyards. He is the house’s director of viticulture and is in charge of caring for the vineyards and the environment, obtaining high-quality grapes and respecting the environment.
What will the next 100 years of Juvé & Camps be like plot by plot?
We have a very very important project. Some time ago, we started working with organic viticulture and now we are with a project that deals with more land than the plot itself, including the forest. Other projects underway are: a plot project that will help us to know the characteristics of all our plots and a forest management plan for the property that will also include our vineyard. It will be a mix between vineyards, forest, environment, sustainability… which I think will be a hit.
What does this plot project consist of?
In this project we are going to identify all our plots at the level of soil, vegetation, productive potential… and from there we will define what the products of the future will be, parcel products of those varieties and those unique areas of our vineyard.
We are in a unique place, what makes Celler d’Espiells so special?
Especially since it is on the Espiells estate, which is my workplace, my office, but it is also an emblematic place in the Penedès. It is an area quite to the north, near Montserrat… The Montserrat mountain gives us a “I don’t know what” differential, I think it’s energy. It is different at the productive level, at the viticultural level, at the variety level… It is something unique in the Penedès and in the world.
A cava to celebrate?
For me, the Reserva de la Familia. It is a cava that goes bareback. It is 100% terroir, there is nothing due to foreign aspects, it has no added sugar and it is 100% Espiells and Penedès.
A wine to conquer?
I think that Gregal is an expression that comes from atypical varieties and that they work very well in the Penedès.
Your favorite corner to enjoy a Grand Juvé & Camps?
My favorite corner of the estate is the Can Rius farmhouse. Views of Montserrat, surrounded by Chardonnay and Xarel·lo vineyards… It is the ideal area.
What sparkling wines are made with the vineyards of the Can Rius estate?
We make the Milesimé. It is differentiated by the variety, which is Chardonnay, and the production area, which is Can Rius. The chardonnay clone was already planted in its day with the idea of making cava. Therefore, at the time of maturation, it has a higher acidity. The climatic zone also influences, in Can Rius we have a microclimate that differentiates the Milesimé from the rest.
What would you say to the Juvé family as they celebrate their centenary?
I would say thank you very much for these 100 years, for the way you have managed the company. In what affects me, viticulture, they have carried out impeccable management. It seems that working ecologically is a great novelty, but when I started working here it was already a work philosophy, although without certification. We already had that concern for the environment, for sustainability, for improvement and continuity. We can only give many thanks for the previous work and all the work that will come in the future.
Thank you very much Pep, we have loved learning about viticulture with you.