Review: Masia Cabellut Villa & Vineyard, Masllorenç, Spain

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It’s not often you get to experience an entire vineyard alongside your villa. Yet this is what is available in the town of Masllorenç, just an hour’s drive from Barcelona. The villa is architecturally elegant and sits amid quiet gardens offering charm, privacy and tranquillity where you can toast to the occasion with wine so local it’s made on site.

Masia Cabellut has been nothing short of a labour of love for its owners, Peter and Jurate Johnsen, who bought the winery eight years ago and remodelled its interiors and vineyards ever since. They say:

“We saw over 50 vineyards, some had no views, some had electric cables, but Masia Cabellut was so quiet, so secluded, it was unparallel to anything else we saw. It was love at first sight,” 

When Peter and Jurate bought the house, it had trees growing in it. Previous owners abandoned it. Working with local architects and artisans and a few Lithuanian interior and landscape designers, you can feel Jurate’s and her team’s magic touch everywhere. 

According to previous owners, Masia Cabellut was a Cava winery for centuries. Peter adds,

“because of its location it is naturally protected from elements, its terrain is quite stony and full of minerals, making it an excellent site for growing local cava grapes”.

After completing the purchase, the couple began renovating and restoring the vineyard. In 2019 Nico van Buitenen with his daughter Anse joined the Cabellut Team as partners and ever since have been responsible for expanding and further developing grape varieties to increase the annual output.

Four European Michelin star restaurants serve Masia’s wine, with the plan to go up to six this year. The winery produces local varieties, including Xarel-lo and Malvasia de Sitges & Moscated and wider known ones, including Chardonnay, Merlot and Sauvignon. Near the wineries, the almond grove and Arbequina olive grove produce the smoothest olive oils with green almonds, herbs, lettuce, and green tomato notes.

Who for

Maisa Cabellut is ideal for large groups or newlywed couples and 16 guests, a large family gathering or a suite of friends.

Accommodation

There are seven bedrooms able to sleep 16 people, a brand new self–catering kitchen, a brand new patio and a 3,000 square meter dry garden filled with lavender, thyme and rosemary. 

The newly revealed interior combines Baltic and Scandinavian minimalism, with bold undertones of Catalonia, Morocco and Ibiza with well-placed terracotta colours mixed with local artisanal furniture.  The piece de resistance is a five-meter long table crafted by local artists, made entirely from 168-year old local oak.

Facilities

The villa comes with an impressive 120 square meter pool. Later if you want to party, pop into the fully stocked wine room with white, red, rose and sparkling wines starting at €22. Whichever wine you choose can be purchased at 50% off. 

There is also a high-ceilinged “ball” room, the “Montserrat hall” where you can host a party for up to 50 people. Incidentally, you can also run a workshop or a yoga class there too. 

Above all, Masia, with its local wines, olive oils and endless walks, can provide the much-needed escape from what is otherwise a bustling and crowded coast of Northern Spain.

How Much

Prices begin at 4000EUR for low season and vary throughout the year. All prices are available upon request.

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What’s Nearby



Masia’s location offers no shortage of historical sites and facts for history buffs. The house sits on an ancient Roman road that runs from the South of Spain to Rome. The road was fortified and expanded in the 18th century, especially when Masias provided shelter and hostel for pilgrims. The first traces of Masia go back as far as the 12th Century, but the first printed documents show the King of Spain’s signature in 1745.

The word Masia Cabellut translates as Hair Mansion, a misspelling from Horse Mansion (Caballut). Peter and Jurate traced this error back to when local notaries performed the first handwritten documentation.

Nearby, the five-star boutique Mastinel Hotel offers more winery tours and Cava tasting. UNESCO protected Arc de Bera was built during Roman emperor Augustus reign around 13 century BCE. Montferri church is a small modernist church built by Spain’s lauded architect Josep Maria Jujol. Similarly, Castellet Castle, a Romanesque wonder, is a great place to explore, especially with children.

After all the local exploration, the nearby village of Sitges offers discerning travellers massages, manicures, yoga classes, local restaurants, and a marina with private boat hires and the beach.

Note: Masia opens its doors on the 22nd of April and takes reservations for a whole week during high season or selected days during medium and low seasons. Peter and Jurate will be the hosts one will never forget, warm, welcoming, kind, and seeing to one’s every need.