Vilarnau Cava

These two wonderful Cavas are from Vilarnau in Spain. The winery is a small, artisanal, hand crafted Cava house located outside of Barcelona that dates back to 1949. Made in the traditional méthode champenoise, the Vilarnau bottles honor their Catalan roots with wrapping that reflects the beautiful avant-­garde imagery of Antoni Gaudí.

• Vilarnau Brut Reserva NV ($14.99) This Brut Cava is made from three varietals: 50% Macabeo, 35% Parellada, 15% Xarel.lo. They are each made separately. The first fermentation for each varietal takes place over 30 days before being blended. The second fermentation occurs the traditional way, in the bottle, where the yeast turns the wines in to Cava with its characteristic bubbles. It is classified as a "Reserva" because it was aged for more than 15 months in the bottle.

• Vilarnau Brut Reserva Rosé NV ($15.99) This rosé Cava is produced from 85% Garnacha and 15% Pinot Noir. They are fermented separately in stainless steel tanks for 30 days. They are then blended and bottled to start the second fermentation which takes about six weeks. It then stays in contact with the yeast for at least 15 month in the bottle during the aging process which qualifies this Cava as a “Reserva.” It has delicate flavors of ripe strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. It’s smooth, creamy and refreshing. This bottle is always a strong favorite when served!

While Vilarnau Cava itself has been organic for quite some time, the organic seal has been approved for the Brut and soon the bottles in the U.S. market will showcase the organic label with the Rosé soon to follow.

Vilarnau cavas are imported by González Byass USA and are distributed nationally, including being available on Wine.com. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received these samples at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Samples Provided by Donna White Communications