XL is Partida Creus' standard-bearer for Xarel-Lo, the great indigenous white grape of Catalonia that Antonella Gerosa and Massimo Marchiori have championed since settling in Bonastre in the early 2000s. The fruit comes from old vines planted on the calcareous clay soils of the Massís de Bonastre, a rugged limestone ridge rising above the coastal plain south of Barcelona. Harvest is performed by hand, and the grapes ferment spontaneously with native yeasts, undergoing malolactic fermentation while aging on their fine lees, then bottled unfined, unfiltered and without added sulphites. This magnum has also spent time in wood, adding a layer of texture and oxidative complexity that deepens with age.

The 2018 is a profiled, complex and deep wine. On the nose, ripe white fruit sits alongside floral notes over a mineral background. In the mouth it is voluminous and structured, with a freshness that is unusual for wines from this area. Seven years in bottle have only added to its presence. The wines of Partida Creus represent the complex beauty of the Mediterranean landscape in a glass, with saline notes, delicate fruit and aromatic herbs, wines with a holiday feel but with unparalleled energy and freshness. The magnum format slows everything down further, giving the wine more time to develop in the bottle and making each glass that much more generous. A rare format for a wine that deserves a proper occasion.