Jordi Esteve
Rabós d’Empordà, Spain
Founded:
Size:
2013
10 Hectares
Farming:
Vine Age:
Organic, Minimal Intervention
~120 Years
When we first drove into Alt Empordà from the French side, crossing the border from France into Spain, it’s hard to miss that it’s a landscape that truely stays with you. The vineyards here feel ancient—because they are—but also fragile. Terraces long abandoned, villages half-quiet, and the occasional presence of the Tramuntana wind sweeping in off the Mediterranean. This is one of the most historic wine regions in Catalonia, and for a long time, one of the most overlooked.
Just outside the small village of Rabós, about half an hour from Girona, we met Jordi Esteve—a winemaker whose work captures both the past and future of Empordà wine. Spending time with Jordi, walking the vineyards and sharing meals, it quickly became clear that this is more than a winery. It’s a deeply personal project rooted in place, community, and tradition.Jordi returned to Rabós (where he gained initial celler experience in his youth) in 2013 after years working abroad, including time in California and Chile. But it was here, back in his family’s village, that things truly clicked.Rather than reinventing the wheel, he turned to the people who had never left—the older generation of growers and farmers who still carried the knowledge of how things were always done. What followed was years of listening, learning, and slowly earning trust.
Today, Jordi farms around ten hectares of old vine vineyards—some of them incredibly old and no longer commercially viable by modern standards, but full of character. These Vides Velles (“Old Lives”) vines produce low yields but intensely expressive fruit, forming the foundation of his small-production, natural wines from Empordà.
In the cellar, the approach is refreshingly straightforward. Traditional basket pressing, fermentation in stainless steel, minimal interventions or manipulation—just careful, patient winemaking that allows the vineyard to speak. Jordi’s philosophy, as he told us over lunch, is simple: “I just follow the grapes where they want to go.”
The wines themselves are unmistakably Mediterranean. The reds are structured, savoury, and alive, with a raw energy that reflects the wind, the heat, and the mineral soils of the region. The whites—when available—are rare and layered, while the rosés completely defy expectation: textured, serious, and built for the table rather than the beach. These are wines that demand food—olive oil, garlic, seafood, grilled meats—and come alive in that context.
What also struck us during our visit is Jordi’s connection to the village itself. This isn’t an isolated winery—it’s part of a living culture. From shared meals to local traditions, there’s a sense that the wines are just one expression of a broader Catalan way of life. Even the vineyards come with stories, including those passed down from his neighbour and mentor, whose legacy continues to shape the project today.Alongside his dry wines, Jordi has also been instrumental in reviving Empordà’s historic sweet wines—working with old solera barrels and documenting pre-phylloxera cellars across the region. Tasting these wines with him was one of the most memorable moments of our visit: a direct link between past and present, and a glimpse of where this project might go next.
As importers, we’re always looking for wines with a strong sense of identity—wines that reflect not just a place, but a person and a philosophy. What Jordi is doing here in Empordà is exactly that. These are honest, characterful Spanish wines with deep roots and a clear point of view.
For anyone exploring natural wine from Catalunya, Spain, old vine wines, or the emerging story of the Empordà region, this is a producer worth knowing—and one we’re incredibly proud to represent here is Australia.
COMING SOON
RIM WINES
2023
Mas Dels Fils
(White)
2025
Contraban
(Pet Nat)
2023
Sarau Negre
(Red)
2023
Jan Negre
(Red)
2023
Vides Velles
(Red)
2025
Sarau Blanc
(White)
