The flavor of hay in wine of Cava
Discover the of Cava wines revealing the of hay flavor during the olphactive analysis (nose) and during the gustative analysis (mouth).
Cava is Spain's signature style of Sparkling wine, and the Iberian Peninsula's answer to Champagne. The traditional Grape varieties used in Cava were Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo, but the Champagne varieties Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are also used. While the first Cava was produced exclusively in Catalonia - specifically in a small town called San Sadurní de Noya - modern Cava can be sourced from various regions of Spain. Aragon, Navarre, Rioja, Pais Vasco, Valencia and Extremadura have specific delimited areas that can benefit from the designation of origin.
In reality, less than 10% of Cava wines come from these regions. The heart of Cava production is still in San Sadurní de Noya. All the scattered areas share similarities in Climate, largely Mediterranean, with moderate rainfall. Most of the vineyards are at around 200-300 metres (650-985ft), although some reach 800m (2,625ft).
A couple of weeks ago, I was looking up at some terraced vineyards in St-Joseph with an Australian friend. He remarked that he’d never seen a steep vineyard like this in his home country. Who could afford to rip out the trees, build the access roads, construct the terraces, and plant the vines, without being certain beforehand that the resulting wine could be sold at prices high enough to recoup the investment? It might not be the most romantic way of looking at it. But that’s the modern reality ...
As a wine critic, witnessing a relatively unknown estate rise up and receive the recognition it deserves can be a bittersweet feeling. From a purely selfish point of view, you watch the prices rise inexorably so you can no longer afford to drink wines from that estate as often as you once did. But primarily you’re delighted for the owners and for those who have discovered their wines. Scroll down for Matt Walls’ tasting notes and scores for five vintages of Domaine Gonon St-Joseph {"c ...
Clément Bärtschi, winemaker and cellarmaster at M Chapoutier, saw little frost in St-Joseph in 2021. Nevertheless, the cool, wet season resulted in oscillating quality. Some wines are excellent, in a fresh, crisp and fragrant style; but the larger proportion lack fruit and joy, with dry, astringent tannins. ‘We’d have called it a lovely vintage – in the 1980s,’ said Jean Gonon of Domaine Gonon. Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for top-scoring St-Joseph 2021 wines See all 400 Rhône 202 ...