Paella, Cava and other Spanish Delights
Chez Christianne, San Francisco, CA
Tasted Sunday, April 25, 2010 by rjonwine@gmail.com with 689 views
Introduction
Christianne is a terrific cook and generous host, so when she invites you over, even for a "casual" afternoon lunch/supper, you would be well advised to accept. In this case, she was offering a 22" diameter pan of paella, and mentioned something about Cava. She subsequently added, with Traci's help, homemade empanadas and Serrano jamon wrapped melons; Traci made a delicious salad with arugula and beans; I was inspired to find several Spanish cheeses; Sharon made chorizo stuffed dates wrapped in bacon; and Sandy whipped up some Meyer lemon squares. So before you know it, we had a gourmet feast. I also saw this as a chance to break out some Spanish wines that I rarely seem to get to in my cellar, as did Sandy, and Christianne shopped for some Cavas at SF Wine Trading Company. All in all, we had the ingredients for a delicious way to while away a lovely Sunday afternoon at Christianne's place in the City, and set about to do just that.
Besides all the great food and company, I especially appreciated the chance to try our five Cavas. I've been meaning to learn more about Cava, as I've been hearing there's been a great increase in quality and diversity in this category, so this was a good kickoff for that plan. I was surprised by the diversity of sparklers in our little flight of five. We had two non-vintage Cavas, three vintage (one '05 and two '06), one that was both single vineyard and single varietal, and one delicious rosé. One of our Cavas was from the Catalonian DO of Penedes, while the rest hailed from elsewhere in Catalonia, by far the biggest source of Cava of the several regions where Cava may be made. My favorite of the lot was the rosé, from Raventós i Blanc, with its creamy textured tart strawberry and roses palate. (Josep Maria Raventós's ancestor, Joseph Raventós of Cordoniu, is the man credited with creating Cava in 1872.) A good little value for only about $19, it clearly included Pinot Noir. Pinot is only recently one of the six permitted varietals on which Cava can be based. The other permitted varietals include the three more traditional ones--Macabeo, Parellada, Xarel·lo--along with the more recent additions to the Cava repetoire: Chardonnay and Subirat. My next favorite was the very refreshing NV Barcino Brut, based on the three traditional varietals. The least impressive was the single vineyard (containing 40-year-old Parellada vines) '05 d'Abbatis. Perhaps it's a Cava that needs to be drunk soon after release, or perhaps Parellada, which is the softer varietal of the three traditional ones, is not a strong enough single varietal for a complex and truly satisfying Cava. I'll obviously have to check out these initial hypotheses by drinking a lot more Cava in the coming months.
With our paella, we sampled two fairly mature Tempranillos, both of which were good, their lighter body and ripe red fruit pairing well with our delicious dish. My favorite red of the day, however, was an unusual wine from Mallorca, made from nearly 100% of an indigenous varietal, Callet. Deep, brooding, complex, it was quite appealing and surprisingly tasty. Another example of the kind of intriguing wines that can be made from little known varietals scattered across our world. Our three sweet wines hailed from France and Italy, and the best was a beautifully mature 1986 Chateau Filhot.
Thanks to Christianne and the gang for a delightful afternoon, and for getting me going on my planned Cava journey. Look for more installments in the coming months.
Flight 1 - Cava Flight (5 Notes)
empanadas
Flight 2 - White Flight (2 Notes)
Serrano jamon and melon
Flight 3 - Tempranillo Flight (2 Notes)
Christianne's paella
Flight 4 - Other Spanish Reds and friend (3 Notes)
Spanish cheeses and chorizo stuffed dates
Flight 5 - Sauternes (1 Note)
Meyer lemon square with fresh whipped cream
Flight 6 - More Sweetness (1 Note)
Flight 7 - Grappa (1 Note)
2006 Naveran Cava Brut 88 Points
Spain, Cava
Very light yellow color; light lime nose with a sense of salinity and minerality; tasty, refined, light lime, minerally palate; medium finish (50% Xarello, 30% Macabeo, 20% Parellada; aged on lees 18 mos.)
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2005 Cellers Camp de Tarragona Cava d'Abbatis Blanc de Blancs Gran Brut Nature Mas Aragó 87 Points
Spain, Cava
Light yellow color; intriguing green pear, green apple, cider nose; a little restrained on palate of green melon, mineral, a little mature; medium finish (from 40 year old Parellada vines)
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NV Barcino Cava Brut 89 Points
Spain, Cava
Light yellow color; nice lime, mineral, green apple nose; tasty, crisp, tart green melon, mineral palate; medium finish (55% Xarello, 25% Macabeo, 20% Parellada)
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NV Avinyó Cava Brut Reserva 87 Points
Spain, Cava
Light yellow color with slight green cast; chalky, mineral, dish soap nose; tasty, floral, mineral, light green fruit palate with medium acidity; medium finish 87+ pts.
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2006 Raventós i Blanc de Nit Rosé 91 Points
Spain, Cava
Very light salmon pink color; light strawberry, roses nose; creamy textured, tart strawberry, floral, roses palate; medium finish (disgorged 7/17/09; good value at $19)
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