R. Parker (93/100)
The 2024 Istiu is a 50/50 blend of 50-year-old Xarel.lo and young Malvasía de Sitges, from two small plots, 0.2 and 0.25 hectares, respectively. It sets the tone for the vintage and is very fresh and precise, with very good balance and cleanliness, and it's elegant and very approachable. The two varieties complement each other nicely. They fermented separately, the Malvasía in concrete eggs and the Xarel.lo in 300-year-old barrel (in 2025, it will be 100% in concrete), then aged for nine months with lees but without bâtonnage and blended one month before bottling. Malvasía, planted in 2020, was very young and delivered very low yields—the old Malvasía was ripped up after 2021—and it feels very integrated with the Xarel.lo. Soler likes the combination and doesn't feel the need to do a 100% Malvasia wine. Maybe the palate is more tender and has softer acidity and is less vibrant and sleek, but there are no real signs of heat or ripeness. This has textbook parameters: 12.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.11 and 6.5 grams of acidity. Only 910 bottles produced.