Vin Noir Explorers & Importers

Some of the best discoveries happen when you are not looking. On a recent adventure through Magical Mystery Tours with Katie Truesdell, we found ourselves winding through the hills of Penedès with no real plan beyond curiosity. The day delivered more than scenery. By pure chance, we met not only a prospective supplier we will share in a later post, but also a current one whose wines we are now bringing to our community: Caves Joan Bundó Pons. What follows is their story, their wine, and why we believe this tiny cellar belongs at your table.

Where is Penedès?

Penedès sits southwest of Barcelona, ringed by coastal hills and higher inland ranges that create a natural amphitheater for vines. The region’s identity is built on native grapes, careful farming, and a culture that prizes clarity over flash. The classic trio is Xarel·lo for structure, Macabeu for lift, and Parellada for freshness. Sant Sadurní d’Anoia is considered the historical capital of traditional method sparkling, and the broader area remains the engine behind much of Spain’s bottle-fermented wine today. Sustainability is increasingly central across the appellation, and producers are steadily formalizing organic practices and tighter quality signals.

Caves Joan Bundó Pons

Caves Joan Bundó Pons is a small family cellar in Penedès run by a husband and wife, Joan & Cristina Bundó Pons. Their ethos is simple and exact. Work by hand. Protect the place. Let time do quiet, careful work in the bottle. Their first release left the cellar on their wedding day, which tells you how personal the project is. They rely on indigenous grapes and traditional bottle fermentation with patient lees aging. The result is sparkling wine that reads calm and precise rather than showy. It tastes like the place and the people behind it.

Q: Tell us how this began for you

Cristina Bundó Pons: My husband, Joan Bundó Pons, always had vineyards. For years, we sold the grapes because vinifying meant a big investment. But he never lost the desire to make wine. When we started this project, the dream was to vinify our own fruit and see what the land was really saying. The first bottle that left these cellars did so on our wedding day. It felt like a promise to each other and to the place.

Q: What do you hope someone feels when they drink your wine?

C: Love for the land. Respect for small family work. The simplicity of doing things by hand with care. We want people to enjoy the wine the way we do, without noise, without hurry.

Q: What does a normal week look like in your life?

C: It depends on the season. In winter, there is pruning and quiet planning. In sprin,g we pay attention to every shoot and to the weather. Summer is vigilance and care. Harvest gives us long days, but the work feels light because the fruit is finally here. We do most things ourselves, so each task carries our fingerprints.

Q: What do you carry from Penedès into the glass?

C: Tranquility. Good people. A landscape that calms you and asks you to pay attention. Even with the challenges of climate change, we hold on to that calm. You taste it as clean fruit, balanced, with a finish that doesn't shout.

Q: What have you learned by working as a couple?

C: To listen, even on busy days. To accept that the other person sees the same vine differently and that this is a strength. We divide work by instinct and trust. The wine benefits from both of us being present.

Q: What moments tell you the work is worth it?

C: When people return with friends and say they felt at home here. When someone opens a bottle for a celebration. When a sommelier notices the quiet details. Those moments make the long days feel small.

Q: What is your hope for the future?

C: To live from our wine and olive oil. Currently, we have another job during the week, but our goal is to dedicate ourselves fully to this. Not to become big, just to become steady.

Spotlight: Joan Bundó Pons Brut Nature

Grapes and Method

Macabeu brings lift. Xarel·lo brings structure and a saline thread. Parellada brings freshness. The wine is made by the traditional method with a second fermentation in bottle, extended time on lees, manual riddling, and classic disgorgement. The goal is a fine, steady bead and an integrated mid palate without added sweetness.

Tasting Profile

Pale straw color. Fresh orchard fruit and citrus on the nose with quiet lees notes. Fine, purposeful mousse. Clean and balanced on the palate with a subtle savory edge. The finish leaves space and invites another sip.

Food Pairing Ideas

Salted almonds. Jamón. Roast chicken with herbs. Mushroom risotto. Salt-baked fish. Aged cow’s milk cheeses. The acid line keeps pace with richer foods. The lees weight supports the quieter dishes.

Why We Selected It

Indigenous grapes. Manual craft. Micro scale. A style that reads precise rather than showy. It fits our lane because it is thoughtful, honest, and built for real meals with real people.