Recently I haven't had time to write tasting notes, but some bottles force you to find time. This Cava, enjoyed at Taberna Laredo in Madrid, rivals most Champagnes. The 102 months spent on the lees have created rich aromas of brioche, creme brûlée, and toffee. The palate, on the other hand, is lean and chiseled: highly mineral and almost briney, with notes of citrus and white stone fruits. Give this at least an hour to breathe; the last sip was the best. Bottle #993. Rated 3 on a scale of -1 to 3.
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Didn't have enough time to work thru it this time around.....this is a very young wine given the 100+ months on lee and it needs ample patience in both cellaring and decanting to display true complexity and structure. A shame to finish within 3 hrs....this is a 12+hr wine that would reward you
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This needs serious decanting....100+month of lees contact did not overwhelm the wine, still appear balanced. Acidity is lower than most champagne of this class, yet structure is big and firm, took 4hrs to begin to open up, mousse actually became more apparent towards to end compared to first opened. Cork was hard to pull but didn't expand much after opened....some suspected cork condition is not ideal.
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Year 2 - Super Tasting 2 of 5 - Andrew does Rioja (Langdon Hall, Cambridge, ON): Very rich nose. I loved this straight away and loved watching it's gorgeous evolution throughout the night. Quite Krug-like. Nose blasts honey drizzled toast, toasted hazelnuts, dried mixed citrus zest, brown sugar, butterscotch, apple pie with caramel sauce and chocolate covered espresso beans. Palate retains adequate acid while also being rich. Finish is long and powerful. To me, 94 may even be conservative on this.
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Year 2 - Super Tasting 2 of 5 - Andrew does Rioja (Langdon Hall, Blair, Ontario): All indigenous varieties with an oaked base wine and zero dosage. 100 months on lees. Nose of salted lemon, mineral, lime, roasted nuts, ginger, and apple. The nose is so rich. Palate is really nice....so rich, round and complex with flavours of brioche, lemon, mineral, hazelnuts and both obvious autolysis and oak treatment. The finish is very long.....with lingering salted caramel, brioche, lime and mineral notes.
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Year 2; Tasting 2 of 5; Andrew does Rioja (1954-1994) (Red Room, Langdon Hall, Cambridge, Ontario): Popped and poured, followed approximately 1.5 hours. 100% Xarel-lo, fermented in cask. Spent over 100 month on the lees, and is subject to zero dosage. Golden colour in the glass, with persistent micro bubbles. In contrast to the Reserva Particular, this was just bursting from the glass, with notes of baked apple, yeast, bread dough, baking spice, crushed rock, grated ginger, a touch of oak and burnt sugar. On the palate, very rich and round, showing excellent concentration. The finish is quite long, accentuated by notes of baked apple, mineral, bitter walnut skin, burnt sugar and yeast. If I was served this blind, there is not a chance I would be headed to Cava. This shows a real sense of pedigree and class. Lovely wine, and a step above the Reserva Particular.
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8/16/2016 - kevinacohn wrote:
Recently I haven't had time to write tasting notes, but some bottles force you to find time. This Cava, enjoyed at Taberna Laredo in Madrid, rivals most Champagnes. The 102 months spent on the lees have created rich aromas of brioche, creme brûlée, and toffee. The palate, on the other hand, is lean and chiseled: highly mineral and almost briney, with notes of citrus and white stone fruits. Give this at least an hour to breathe; the last sip was the best. Bottle #993. Rated 3 on a scale of -1 to 3.
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6/28/2015 - bacchuszuo Likes this wine: 92 Points
Didn't have enough time to work thru it this time around.....this is a very young wine given the 100+ months on lee and it needs ample patience in both cellaring and decanting to display true complexity and structure. A shame to finish within 3 hrs....this is a 12+hr wine that would reward you
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3/8/2015 - bacchuszuo Likes this wine: 93 Points
This needs serious decanting....100+month of lees contact did not overwhelm the wine, still appear balanced. Acidity is lower than most champagne of this class, yet structure is big and firm, took 4hrs to begin to open up, mousse actually became more apparent towards to end compared to first opened. Cork was hard to pull but didn't expand much after opened....some suspected cork condition is not ideal.
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2/8/2014 - Wine Canuck wrote: 94 Points
Year 2 - Super Tasting 2 of 5 - Andrew does Rioja (Langdon Hall, Cambridge, ON): Very rich nose. I loved this straight away and loved watching it's gorgeous evolution throughout the night. Quite Krug-like. Nose blasts honey drizzled toast, toasted hazelnuts, dried mixed citrus zest, brown sugar, butterscotch, apple pie with caramel sauce and chocolate covered espresso beans. Palate retains adequate acid while also being rich. Finish is long and powerful. To me, 94 may even be conservative on this.
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2/8/2014 - Dave Canada wrote: 93 Points
Year 2 - Super Tasting 2 of 5 - Andrew does Rioja (Langdon Hall, Blair, Ontario): All indigenous varieties with an oaked base wine and zero dosage. 100 months on lees.
Nose of salted lemon, mineral, lime, roasted nuts, ginger, and apple. The nose is so rich.
Palate is really nice....so rich, round and complex with flavours of brioche, lemon, mineral, hazelnuts and both obvious autolysis and oak treatment.
The finish is very long.....with lingering salted caramel, brioche, lime and mineral notes.
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2/8/2014 - alittle wrote: 93 Points
Year 2; Tasting 2 of 5; Andrew does Rioja (1954-1994) (Red Room, Langdon Hall, Cambridge, Ontario): Popped and poured, followed approximately 1.5 hours. 100% Xarel-lo, fermented in cask. Spent over 100 month on the lees, and is subject to zero dosage. Golden colour in the glass, with persistent micro bubbles. In contrast to the Reserva Particular, this was just bursting from the glass, with notes of baked apple, yeast, bread dough, baking spice, crushed rock, grated ginger, a touch of oak and burnt sugar. On the palate, very rich and round, showing excellent concentration. The finish is quite long, accentuated by notes of baked apple, mineral, bitter walnut skin, burnt sugar and yeast. If I was served this blind, there is not a chance I would be headed to Cava. This shows a real sense of pedigree and class. Lovely wine, and a step above the Reserva Particular.
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