I'm not sure why they take so long to release the top Xarello white, as the current vintage is the 2009 Xarel Lo Pairal, a white wine fermented in chestnut barrels that has a deep golden color and a balsamic nose with notes of bay leaf, camphor and a touch of petrol that you often find in aged Cava. The grapes from old head-pruned Xarel-lo vines planted on stony, chalky soils and are fermented in 450-liter chestnut barrels following old traditions, of course, with indigenous yeasts. The fermentation process is not hurried and might take three or four months, after which time the wine is bottled and aged in bottle for us by the winery. The palate is both powerful and light, complex and fresh, with pungent balsamic flavors that live in your mouth after you swallow (yes, I swallowed). This 2009 was bottled in March 2010! A great showing for Pairal. 2,565 bottles produced.