Community Tasting Note

forceberry wrote:

Monday, February 6, 2017 - A blend of Xarel-lo (50%), Chardonnay (30%) and Pinot Noir (20%). Aged for some 3 years on the lees, disgorged on the end of 2016.

Medium-deep yellow-green color. Open and fragrant nose with complex aromas of baked Granny Smith apple, some sweet autolytic brioche tones, a little bit of tangy citrus fruit and sappy hints of herbal grassy character. The wine is crisp, medium-bodied and quite autolytic on the palate with flavors of tangy Granny Smith apple, some nutty almond tones, a little bit of rubbery reduction, light grassy tones, toasty hints of baked apple and oats'n'honey granola and a touch of brioche. The acidity feels very high and the mousse feels quite ample and crisp. The long finish is crisp, somewhat green-toned and slightly autolytic with flavors of herbal spice, some grassy greenness, a little bit of autolytic toast, light baked apple tones, a hint of pithy lemon and a touch of brioche.

A very poised and harmonious Cava Gran Reserva with good sense of structure and lovely complexity. Not really a wine to challenge the best bubblies of Catalunya, but nevertheless an impressive effort and obviously a notch above the rest of the Alta Alella range. The autolytic tones are nicely emphasized here, yet the wine has an equal emphasis on the herbal and slightly grassy tones of Xarel-lo, making this wine feel more like a real Cava instead of another Champagne imitation. Nice stuff.

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