Bodega Clandestina El Soci

Profile & Story

Ferran Lacruz farms 8 hectares of organic vines in Sant Martí Sarroca, in the heart of Catalonia's Penedès region, having made his first vintage in 2018 after leaving a tourism degree behind to pursue winemaking. He works entirely outside any appellation and adds nothing to his wines beyond what's strictly necessary. El Soci, Catalan for 'fellow' or 'membership', was conceived as an easy-drinking, unpretentious wine meant to invite people who feel intimidated by wine's 'elite' reputation to simply enjoy a glass with friends; its label breaks from Clandestina's usual design with an open padlock. The Macabeo grapes come from three vineyards, Ruidemilans, Munsarra and Pla, picked at different times through August for balance between early acidity and later-picked ripeness, then hand-harvested, direct-pressed and fermented together with indigenous yeast in stainless steel before resting about five months and bottling the following spring, unfined and unfiltered.