Not too far away from buzzy Ibiza, the Spanish island of Mallorca is home to one of Spain’s most dynamic young winemaker, Cati Ribot.

Cati’s father planted international grapes like Chardonnay and Cabernet (it was, after all, the ‘90s). But after a stint working as a somm in Barcelona, and getting the chance to taste wines from all over the world, Cati realized the potential of her small Mediterranean island and its unique indigenous varieties. And so, they said adios to the French varieties and began planting varieties like Escursac, the local Malvasía de Banyalbufar, Girò Ros and Prensal Blanc.

These varieties have spent a very long time adapting to Mallorca’s Mediterranean climate, and are thus late-ripening, drought-resistant and large-berried. These adaptations lend themselves perfectly to today’s taste for lower alcohol wines with plenty of freshness and acidity.

Cati calls her project Ve d'Avior, Mallorquin for ‘from the past’. And in fact, these wines are a fascinating juxtaposition of the old and the new. She farms biodynamically, with help from Penedès winemaker Joan Rubio; she replaced her father’s large vessels with smaller tanks and ceramic tinajas. But she’s also worked hard to bring back the variety Escursac, of which she has a little over 6 hectares. The grape lends itself well to light wines with soft tannins and gentle fruit. Those international varieties planted by her father have nothing on the island’s native grapes!

Salvo Foti is credited with renewing an interest in artisanal winemaking on Mt. Etna. More recently, wineries like Viñatigo, Envínate and Suertes del Marques have reinvigorated the scene in the Canary Islands. Cati Ribot is doing her part to revive the nearly-forgotten viticultural heritage of Mallorca m, and we are so impressed with what she’s accomplished so far.

We hope you give these rare wines a shot — there’s only a few cases of each available, but we were so impressed by the lineup we simply had to share them with you.

Cati Ribot, Son Llebre Blanc, 2023 $34.99
Giró Ros and Malvasía de Banyalbufar from Cati's own finca Son Llebre vineyard on Cal Vermell (the local iron-rich clay-calcareous) soils. Juicy, crisp and lightly aromatic, this is a delightful summer sipper with plenty of zip.

Cati Ribot, Son Llebre Negre, 2023 $34.99
Escursac, Callet and Callet Negrella from a single namesake vineyard grown on Cal Vermell (the local iron-rich clay-calcareous) soils. Juicy, tangy and bright, with flavors of sour cherry, redcurrant and wild strawberry.

Cati Ribot, Escursac, 2023 $36.99
100% Escursac, harvested by hand. The fruit is gently pressed whole cluster, and ferments partially in ceramic amphoras and partially in stainless steel. This juicy wine is full of strawberry fruit flavors colliding with sun-dried Mediterranean herbs. Drink with a bit of a chill.
 
Cati Ribot, Bosquet, 2023 $36.99
A pet-nat of Escursac, destemmed and macerated on the skins briefly. Then, a small amount of unfermented free-run juice from late-harvested Fogoneu was added to the wine to start a second fermentation, first in tank and then in bottle. Disgorged in the spring. No fining, filtering or addition of SO2. Bosquet is a Mallorquin word for a “troublemaker” or “good-for-nothing.”