Can Ràfols dels Caus is a renowned winery in the heart of the Garraf mountains in Catalonia, known for its organic farming methods and characterful wines. Jordi, the winemaker, is the visionary heart of Can Ràfols, creating authentic wines with personality through passion and deep respect for the terroir.
Can Ràfols dels Caus is located in the Massís del Garraf Natural Park, southwest of Barcelona, nestled in a wild, limestone-rich landscape with a Mediterranean influence. The winery sits on a historic estate with Roman and medieval roots, which has been used for agriculture for centuries. In the 1970s, Carlos Esteva began transforming the estate into an innovative, terroir-driven winery that today ranks among the pioneers of quality winemaking in Catalonia. The wines of Can Ràfols dels Caus – with their elegance, refined sensitivity, and understated complexity – reflect Carlos Esteva’s curiosity. He experimented with a wide variety of grape varieties. This curiosity led him to introduce new varieties and cultivation methods, always with the aim of creating excellent wines with unique character and giving the estate a distinct identity.
Jordi Esteve is the current director of Can Ràfols dels Caus, having taken over the management of the estate after the death of Carlos Esteva in 2023. As a long-time companion of Carlos, Jordi brings deep knowledge of the Massís del Garraf terroir and continues the estate’s philosophy with a focus on sustainability, organic farming, and micro-parcel-based vinification. His approach combines traditional manual work with modern cellar technology to create authentic wines that reflect the rugged beauty of the limestone-rich landscape.
The winery places great importance on sustainable management. Only about 50 hectares of the estate’s total 455 hectares are used for viticulture, while the rest consists of forests, scrubland, and rocky terrain. The philosophy of Can Ràfols dels Caus is based on respect for nature, artisanal precision, and the pursuit of authenticity. The wines are meant to reflect the terroir and personality of the place – elegant, sensitive, and complex. Tradition and innovation go hand in hand, always with the goal of creating wines with a distinctive character.
Location and soils The terroir of Can Ràfols dels Caus is characterised by limestone-rich soils, a Mediterranean climate and the wild, barren landscape of the Massís del Garraf, which lends the wines minerality, freshness and depth.
Vines Can Ràfols dels Caus cultivates a diverse mix of autochthonous grape varieties such as Xarel·lo, Sumoll and Garnatxa, as well as international varieties such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chenin Blanc, to express the diversity and depth of the terroir.
Climate The climate in the Massís del Garraf, where Can Ràfols dels Caus is located, is Mediterranean with hot, dry summers, mild winters and cooling sea breezes that provide freshness and balance in the wines.
Vinification at Can Ràfols dels Caus is carried out parcel by parcel and with minimal intervention, in order to precisely capture the character of each grape variety and soil type. Harvesting is done exclusively by hand, with careful selection of the grapes. In the cellar, traditional methods are combined with modern techniques – including spontaneous fermentation, gentle extraction, and a restrained use of oak – to produce elegant, authentic, and age-worthy wines.
The Montombra project at Can Ràfols dels Caus is an outstanding example of heroic viticulture in the Massís del Garraf. On steep, limestone slopes with inclines of up to 50%, grape varieties such as Cariñena, Viognier, Parellada, Touriga Nacional, and Syrah are cultivated entirely by hand. The wines are crafted through spontaneous fermentation, precise vinification, and aging in French oak barrels, giving them depth, elegance, and pronounced minerality. With a limited production of only 60 numbered six-bottle cases, Montombra is a tribute to the winemaking tradition of the region and embodies Carlos Esteva’s philosophy: to make the invisible visible and to capture the essence of the terroir in every bottle.
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