The 'Lopez de Heredia of Cava'
Cava has a poor image in this country; years of supermarket promotions and the market dominance of a few, inferior big brands have seen to that. But that's only one side of the story. West of Barcelona, the hills around the town of Sant Sadurni d'Anoia teem with quality-minded, artisanal producers making traditional method sparkling wine. One of the most outstanding of these small houses is Mestres; Luis Gutierrez has described them as the 'Lopez de Heredia of Cava', for their insistence on holding back their Cavas for extended lees aging.
The Mestres family have owned vineyards in the area for 700 years over twenty-nine generations, so you can't fault them for taking their time to get things right. Like many, they began making sparkling wines in the wake of the phylloxera epidemic which devastated French winemaking. Their Cavas blend the traditional grape varieties of the area: Xarel.lo (for body and volume), Macabeo (for fruit), and Parellada (for finesse and perfume).
They were also the first to realise that more lees aging means more flavour depth, and less need for added sweetness. In 1948, they dispensed with any dosage, and launched their Brut Nature Cava Visol ('only wine'). They never looked back. The newly-released 2013 Visol comes from a fine vintage for the region, and is enormously attractive. Floral notes on the bouquet compete with citrus and stonefruit, pastries and toffee. The bone-dry finish sweeps the palate clean. If you ever thought Cava was a one-dimensional drink - think again. /NT
'Limpid yellow-gold. Deeply perfumed, mineral-accented citrus and orchard fruit scents pick up subtle anise, buttered toast and floral nuances with air. Chewy and focused in the mouth, showing strong tension and spicy lift to the tangerine, yellow apple, honeysuckle and bitter quinine flavors. Finishes with excellent clarity and length, leaving lively mineral and citrus pith notes behind.' 92 points, Josh Raynolds, vinous.com, Mar 2021
