MIPTC #35 - Alta Alella Mirgin Cava Reserva 2018

So we skipped a week - I know. Did you miss me? I did miss you too, but perhaps not as much as I missed not having power for a full 80+ hours due to a frickin' ice storm that put more than 1.1M Quebecers in the dark.

Obviously this dire situation did not really put me in a wine-drinking kind of mood, and especially since all my bottles ended up at room temperature for a while (hey you get used to these things mkay?) I therefore thought I'd skip the whole week to give us all time to wrap up the week and here we are - ready for yet another edition of your favourite wine newsletter!

Since the weather now seems lovely and springy (as if it didn't literally try to kill us last week), I decided to reach for the sparkling shelf so as to celebrate the (maybe) end of winter and the beginning of summer. This week is thus dedicated to Cava - one of my favourite appellations in Spain and a solid top 3 contender for favourite sparkling wine of all time. Sounds cool? It's because it really is.

So Cava is a sparkling wine that originates from the Catalonia region of Spain (that's where they speak a distinct language and close to Barcelona). Made using traditional methods (if you don't know what that means, check this article here), Cava wines are made from traditional indigenous varietals named Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada. The only one of those that truly got a chance as a solo career in still wines in Xarel-lo, and though I have tasted promising ones I still prefer it in a Cava blend.

One of Cava's defining feature is the focus many producers take on ageing. Regardless of their relatively cheap prices (Champagne are you listening?) most are aged in underground cellars for years, thereby allowing them to develop unique and complex flavors you don't find in other "cheap" sparklers. While the "aged" style is more common, there is a wide range of Cava going from crisp and refreshing to bone dry gourmet Brut Nature (as we will have here) to sweet and fruity Semi-Seco.

As you can tell from the label, today's wine is a Brut Nature, which is a term used to describe the driest style of Cava. These wines have no added sugar, and as a result, they are bone-dry, with no residual sweetness. Brut Nature Cava is often considered the purest expression of the grape varieties and the terroir, as the lack of added sugar allows the natural flavors of the grapes to shine through. This is a bit of a trendy thing however, since there really isn't anything wrong with sugar per se. Still, I find sparklers with less sugar to be more drinkable as high residual sugar can make things more cloying to my palate. Still, your mileage will vary and there's nothing wrong with going for a Brut or Semi-Seco if the mood strikes.

As for the obvious comparison, Champagne and Cava are kind of similar but kind of not - just like, say, Oasis is kind of similar to Blurr but kind of not (yes I am a proud 90s kid). The varietals are different and the terroir is also quite distinct, so the comparison beyond the bubbles is an uneasy one. Still, one thing Cava will always have going for it is superior value. You can pick a very good bottle such as this one for less than 25$ CAD, which is flat-out impossible in Champagne.

Now on to the tasting, shall we?

The Skinny

• From: Catalunya, Spain

• Varietals: Xarel-lo 40 %, Macabeo 30 %, Parellada 30 %

• Price: $22,30 CAD

• Feature: Organic

Tasting Notes

On the nose, this quickly reveals itself as an aged style, with plenty of tertiary notes coming through (think marzipan, toasted almonds, fresh croissant, etc.). There is a bit of pastry cream showing through, as well as faint undertones of marmalade and lemon preserve. Not the freshest or most inviting nose I've seen in the style, but a very well-executed "aged" type still.

On the palate, the bubbles are tight and elegant, with no soda pop effect. It really is more mousse than fizz. Acidity is surprisingly well controlled for a Brut Nature with that much barrel notes being thrown in. Everything carries through nicely to the finish without anything sticking out too much. This is obviously very dry but not unpleasantly so. While really overdo it and had you almost literally fight with the wine, this is kind of tamed elegance, which I really liked.

Cutting To The Chase: Does It Please The Cork?

This was lovely. Very easy to drink and you quickly miss the bottle after it's gone. While not earth-shattering or that memorable, it would make a surprisingly good allrounder at a party or just as more of a daily driver. While this is really a 3* kind of wine, I added an extra half star

Cork Score: 3/5*

***

*Here's the lowdown on the scores, by the way. Essentially, I don't believe in 100-point scales for things as subjective as wine. Simply put, I just don't think one can credibly justify a 1% or even a 10% increment between two wines. I therefore choose to go a bit more basic. Here's how I break it down:

• 1/5: Seriously faulty, terrible, undrinkable;

• 2/5: Flawed and/or of bad quality. This is the type of stuff you should probably cook with and not drink;

• 3/5: Decent. This is where most entries will end up. These wines are clean and well-balanced, but not particularly memorable and/or exceptional. They are recommendable, but not an experience per se;

• 4/5: Exceptional. I sadly drink few wines that get this rating, but my purpose is to drink more. This denotes a memorable bottle that brought up some kind of emotion in me. This left a mark, and odds are I am now busy recommending it to everybody I know;

• 5/5: Perfect. I think I have probably tasted less than 5 bottles that would have qualified for a 5/5 in my entire life. This denotes an absolutely incredible wine that will imprint a definite memory for years to come - a true experience in itself.