Albet i Noya Brut Reserva 12% $18
Sweet lemon candy and dried fruit on the nose with gentle spice and floral edges. With bubbles that are a bit large, this is a touch chunky in the mouth though it does deliver rich fruit flavors with spice and pollen accents in a dry, crisp style. The finish shows a bit of lemon drop fruit that reveals the edge of sweetness here, but this is a solid example of cava. 87pts
NV Jaume Serra Cristallino Brut 11.5% $8
Lightly floral on the nose with hints of white flowers over gentle apple fruit with a squirt of lime, simple but fresh. In the mouth this shows off lovely citrus fruit over a nice integrated base of yeasty complexity. Rather light and distinctly fresh in the mouth, this is easy to drink and finishes on the dry side with refreshing dried citrus and mineral flavors. 86pts
Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut 12% $10
Mineral and earth driven on the nose with linden flower, honey and candied lime aromas. Fairly light on the palate in a fresh, crisp style that showcases earthy flavors with hints of yeast, mushroom, apple and lemon pith. A fairly dry style with decent length and a nice dry snap on the finish. 86pts
Freixenet Carta Nevada Brut 12% $8
Earthy apple core, floral and dried citrus aromas with a hint of caramel. Mousse is a little coarse but this does show off fairly rich, apple and sweet citrus flavors in a fruity style that takes advantage of the residual sugar to create a smooth mouthfeel without being obviously sweet, though the sugar lingers a bit on the finish. 85pts
Solo Privee Brut Nature 11.5% $12
Cooked veggies and tomato notes appear on the nose along with hints of pithy lime citrus fruit. Rather fine mousse with a lovely, linear and focused feel in the mouth, this is subtly flavored with an earthy, floral nature. Not going to knock anyone out, though you could drink this casually all night long. 85pts
Vega Barcelona Brut Reserva 11.5% $14
This is creamy, toasty and lightly herbal on the nose with lovely dried apple and grapefruit ring base notes. A bit sweet on entry, there’s a lovely feel to this with fine bubbles that are well-integrated and plenty of acidity that helps keep this in balance. The flavors are a bit low and simple, yet quite clear with apple, quince and citrus tones. A little yeasty on the back end, the finish shows a little bit of sticky sugar that obscures some of the detail here. Pleasant. 85pts
Comments
I am very surprised that none of your featured cavas are from the cava house Codorniu -- a wonderful place (we visited there in 2010) with fantastic brut and brut rose' sparkling wines.
Dec 24, 2012 at 3:05 PM
I dont know if any of these family cava cellers get to the other side of the atlantic, but it is worth to know or to have heard of these brands: Miquel Pons (with his Eulalia de Pons Brut Reserva), and all of the sparkling wines of Rimarts. Rico, rico ...............
Dec 24, 2012 at 8:31 PM
I agree with earlier comment on Codorniu. Their production doesn' t (or didn't) rely so heavily on export but seems to be more true to the traditional Catalonial style. Thus I generally tend to prefer their cavas over Freixenet's.
Dec 24, 2012 at 9:28 PM
Ferko
Totally agree on the Codorniu comment, that Cava rocks! Way better than loads of sparkling stuff and for the price you can get a bottle, oh boy it is unbeatable!
Dec 26, 2012 at 4:55 PM
og
I know a guy who once worked with the Freixenet company and he was told (by the boss, indeed) that the way to serve Cava was to chill it so much that ice crystals formed in the glass as you poured it. Which is terrific if you're in, say, Madrid, on a hot June night, less so in England in winter. Still, my routine is to get the stuff down to a hairsbreadth above absolute zero, and what do I find but a nice prickly mousse, followed by a hint of burnt caramel on the tongue, then a ferocious poof as it expands rapidly across the floor of the mouth like a CO2 fire extinguisher, leaving only a chesty rasp in its wake. It passes the time very agreeably, especially when you consider what we paid.
<a href="http://www.sedimentblog.com">The Sediment Blog</a>
Dec 27, 2012 at 4:12 AM
e
I AM VERY SURPRISED THAT YOU DID NOT EVEN MENTIONED THE ABSOLUTE WONDERS OF THE RECARDEROS CAVA.
Dec 30, 2012 at 6:26 AM
Great article!! I too wish that Codorniu was represented above. Especially Anna de Codorniu Brut, the first cava to introduce Chardonnay in it's cuve - which I believe you referred to in your article. Also try to the Anna de Codorniu Brut Rose - 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay.
Dec 31, 2012 at 3:22 PM
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