Thatcher's Imports Spain Trip: Live Blogging Day 1 - Cisteller
Day One: Cisteller
The energy buzzing between Jessica and Sergi of Cisteller (sis-tell-yay) was as palpable as that inside of their bottles, kicking off what has already proven to be a Spanish wine trip for the books. While we know there’s a common thread between many of the producers of Thatcher’s Imports Spain - namely, top quality and an ethereal nature to many of the wines - the looks on the attendees of the trip as they tasted Cisteller’s first few wines was enjoyable for us.
We trekked along the vineyards that surround the winery, which, while not vast are still impressive. Sergi’s family had planted a decently-wide variety of grapes: Xarel-Lo, Garnacha, Malvasia de Sitges, et cetera, but never had attempted to make wine for more than their own consumption. Cisteller, as it translates, means “basket-weaver”, and the family had generations ago moved to the region to do just that for the local merchants. What remains from that time brought Sergi and his American wife, Jessica, back to the Alt-Penedes.
We began in the winery with base wines - vin clairs, if you will - that have yet been readied for tirage, all from the 2025 vintage. This was a brilliant intro to the range for our team, as the chalky, textural if slightly raw wines all presented with glorious, sun shine-y clarity and tension (in the best way). We even had an intro to “Ex Nihilo” - which we’ll come back to - a new collaboration with another Thatcher’s Imports producer.
Moving to the small but beautifully-appointed tasting room, we started to get into the meat of the couple’s wines. Jessica had previously told us that they think of the still and the sparkling sets as almost tow distinct brands - and the labels present as much - but there is a defining characteristic which she hesitantly admitted: the “T” word: terroir.
The 2024 “Gris” is not to be misconstrued as a skin-contact wine, as it isn’t; it’s a purple-tinted clone of Xarel-Lo called Vermell, and, just to reiterate, it is a bright and clear, white wine. The chalky, mineral texture clung behind delightfully as the wine went down; “Probably, our most terroir-driven wine,” Jessica told us, “There’s practically no winemaking for this.”
Following that was the 2023 Xarel-Lo, which in juxtaposition to the Gris - fermented in all stainless - sees a trio of French oak, amphora and stainless elements implemented for the elevage. There’s some batonnage, and with an extra year of bottle age it was clear how the wines will develop. The texture, the mineral tone, everything remained, but the tension became a crystalline sort of vessel for that feeling. Maybe a hint of tropical fruit in the background, with some citrus zest and blossom.
A new treat for many of us was a Malvasia de Sitges, the next pour. The vineyard is a stone’s throw from the tasting room, alongside the Gris vineyard, but with “Maybe three centimeters of clay,” claimed Sergi. He told us the varietal originated in Greece, then came to Spain through Croatia in the 1700s. “It’s low-yielding, extremely vigorous, but is a rarity in that it’s both floral and high acid,” Sergi went on. “And if you turn your back, the plant becomes a massive green monster but with no fruit!” Indeed, super aromatic, with floral and yellow fruits, and just an overall bright, yellow hue to the flavors across the board.
The 2024 Verbena was one our own Hannah couldn’t stop chittering about, and she was right on as per usual. Made of Manzoni Bianco - “A cross between Riesling and Pinot Blanc, with teeny tiny clusters,” Sergi tells us - had terrific tension and texture, and even a hint at that white flower-petrol character Riesling is famous for. The chalk elevates the energy and minerality, and takes you out of a Riesling mindset almost fully. Delicious.
We loved that the Sparkling wines followed these, as it took us on a full journey. The 2023 Lucidity is Xarel-Lo and Macabeu, pressed in whole bunches at very low pressure. As is intentionally a theme for them, there was not a huge autolytic presence, but the lees from the primary fermentation that the wines were aged on for a full year prior to tirage played a huge role in the texture. The mousse was beautifully soft, and the wine was insanely fresh and even offered a hint at red fruits somehow along with orchard fruits, and I thought I felt a cola nut pop out at me from somewhere. The label is crafted by an artist from Louisiana, a friend of Jessica’s, and shows a “Coming of age moment: a window into the soil and an inverted tree.”
Into the Courtship we went, and one of the recurring themes of the trip emerged: wildly varying presentations of Garnacha (Grenache). Courtship was the craziest of memory for me, in that it was capital-R Radiant. They harvest the fruit when it’s about 70% through its veraison (changing color of the grapes from green to red), meaning acidity is at a terrific level for the grape, and this may have been the brightest wine of all on this day. The chalk with Garnacha was also mind-bending, as everything we sommeliers have been taught seemed rail against us. Eyes shifted, rolled back and mouths salivated. 2023, Jessica told us, was a year of high concentration, so the wine was made entirely in stainless - no barrels. Garnacha is also a grape that “Can accumulate sugar just overnight,” and in tasting, you can see that the duo called the harvest time brilliantly (also, as one of the few in the entire country to utilize night picking crews, they were not going to risk missing their window). The Courtship label, she tells us, represents the two ravens - who mate for life, symbolizing Jessica and Sergi - exploring the Garnacha varietal together.
Clarobscur 2022 came next, made of 100% Xarel-Lo sourced from two vineyard plots close to the winery - one old, one young (the old making up about 85%). “This is our counterpart to our still Xarel-Lo,” Jessica told us, “As it’s longer-aged - 30 months in bottle - and stays in barrel for the elevage.” The development was encouraging to see, as the chalk presence remained with a stony portion to the minerality as well. The mousse was perfectly composed, nice and soft, and the orchard and citrus fruits showed perfect harmonious maturity. The latel for Clarobscur highlights “The different path to mastery: light and dark.”
Finally, we got a glimpse of the collaboration between Cisteller and, as hinted, Bernat of Ex Occidente. Bernat had connected Thatcher with the Cisteller duo, and had told us the night prior just how highly he thinks of their methods and vineyards. “The wine and the name - Ex Nihilo translates to, ‘ from nothing’ - is a love child between the heart & mind,” Jessica told us, maybe a playful joke between the two producers as to just who is the heart and who is the mind. The wine comes from a mountain plot largely planted in 1967, with some older vines as well. Having tasted Bernat’s still Xarel-Lo the day prior, and again later that day, we were able to sense his input as Ex Nihilo exhibited a more open, oxidative-winemaking-style (not an oxidative wine, but not a reductive wine), which in my mind presents a color of stone & orchard fruits that scream out the word “bronze” to me. The chalk still raced through the palate, and the fruit remained tart and fresh. Jessica dubbed this an “Impressionistic” wine, whereas Cisteller remains more “fine-lined.” Apt.
The ever-present thought through our Cisteller visit was just how much soils and a winemaker’s guidance - read: not heavy imprint - can help a wine sing. They are not dogmatic by any sense, are very open to changes and advice, but they do have some processes that have generated success that we could tangibly taste: one, the wines are aged on their lees in tank, amphora or barrel. This not only keeps the wines healthy and prevents need for sulfuring, but also aids in the gorgeous texture of the wines we kept returning to. For the sparkling wines, there is no dosage at all; Jessica claimed that the sapidity alleviated the need for dosage, but the wines also just seem perfectly ripe and balanced, the natural acids in check enough too prevent the need for sugar. There isn’t a huge amount of malic acid present, so a wine of theirs may only partially go through Malo-lactic conversion, but they neither block it or encourage it.
2024 was another drought vintage for the region, but 2025 is set to be a banner year for many of our producers, including Cisteller. Drought doesn’t mean less quality, but just less quantity; in fact, the drought usually only imbues a greater concentration for these kinds of wines, while a top year will bring both concentration and quantity - a winemaker’s dream.
After our first visit of the trip, we are extremely confident some of your favorite sommeliers in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego will be pouring these gorgeous, textural and lively wines for you soon!!
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