Lovely Cava

My cousin very kindly treated me to take-out sushi for dinner, so I pulled a bottle of cava from the fridge to drink with it. This was Naveran Dama Vintage 2009, a pricey bottle for a cava, at $25, but totally worth it. Surprisingly for a cava, this is predominantly chardonnay mixed with a little bit of parellada grapes. You can taste this in the flavor - this wine reminded me much more of a champagne than any other cava I've ever had. It was crisp and apple-y, with tiny bubbles and a very clean but fruity finish. It had great balance, very little sweetness, and no sour or tart notes. The bubbles of this wine weren't bad, either, a steady stream that was just starting to disappear at the end of my glass. This was very good with our sushi, and would be equally good on its own as an aperitif. I liked this a lot, it is my new favourite cava.

A Good Week

I had a good week last week...two new sparklers to report, and one was really good.

The first was Scharffenberger Brut Excellence, a Californian sparkling wine made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. This had a nice start, with a bit of lemon meringue pie and yeast flavor and good bubbles. But it had a sweet finish, too sweet for my taste. A bit disappointing.

The second was a champagne, Bernard Tornay Brut Millesime 2002. This had the most wonderful ripe apple flavor with just the right amount of tartness at the finish. It was a fantastic match to the apple crumble with almonds that I made, the rich crispness of the champagne complimenting the oaty, nutty, sweetness of the dessert perfectly. This wine had good bubbles, too, so it was definitely a do-over. One to try if you haven't already.