Even though the holiday season has come to a close, it seems you can always find a good reason to enjoy a bottle of bubbles, especially when it’s priced under $20. I came upon today’s featured wine while I was doing some Christmas shopping at World Market, and I’ve got to say that I was pretty impressed.
Juvé y Camps Gran Reserva is a Spanish Cava. All Cava is made using the traditional method used in Champagne, France to make the wine sparkling, making Cava a pretty close, less pricy, substitute for actual French Champagne. One of the biggest differences however is generally the grapes that are used in the blend. Instead of the traditional Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier found in Champagne, most Cavas are made using the native Spanish varietals Macabeo, Parellada, and Xarel-lo. Many also include Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, or a number of other varietals as well, but these are the standards.
Today’s wine is a blend of mostly free run (juice obtained following crushing but without pressing) Macabeo, Xarel-lo, Parellada, and a bit of Chardonnay from three estate vineyards. It is a Gran Reserva, aged for three years in the bottle prior to release. It is also a brut nature, the driest classification of sparkling wine, containing almost no sugar in the final blend, resulting in an extremely crisp wine.
A mix of green and golden apples introduce the nose, with crushed stone, hard white peaches, and a faintly floral tone appearing as well. Orange and lemon pith open up with a spin in the glass.
This wine is full impact at first, greeting the palate with a rush of effervesce. Flavors of gold apple and crushed stone dominate the core, with notes of peach, something vaguely floral, and a combination of citrus zests and oils showing in the background. This wine has a good amount of complexity, an impressive balance of flavors and textures, and brings a great amount of value for the price.
Worth Buying. 90 points.
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