The annual top list US influential wine magazine has two Spanish sparkling wines, both happen to be from Catalonia. Llopart, one of the oldest sparkling wine estates of Sant Sadurní d’Anoia created Llopart Original Brut Nature 1887 Corpinnat to honour the first sparkling wine made by Llopart family. Now vintage 2011 of this wine received 95 points and hit the 42nd position in the prestigious list. Naveran 2021 Perles Blanques Cava received 93 points which placed it at the 63rd place.
Altogether there are 5 Spanish wines on the list, SparklingSpain introducing you the two sparkling wines.
See the full Top 100 list here
Llopart Original – following the original recipe
The first Llopart Original is from vintage 2006 vintage, commemorating the 125th birthday of the first bottle of the family. The wine is a single vineyard one from Les Flandes vineyard at 308 metres above sea level (this is considered high in Penedès). The current vintage is 2011, it was aged for 108 months on the lees, brut nature, and only 2938 bottles were made “with an exact replica of the original label of the 1887″. The blend is Montònega 50%, Xarel·lo 25% and Macabeu 25%. It costs 100 USD in the United States and it is around 60 EUR in Spain (for example here).
Now a magnum format of the vintage 2012 is available – you’d better hurry, only 301 bottles were made.
And does Mike deSimone from Wine Enthusiast say about the wine?
“Deep straw in color and with a steady column of bubbles, this sparkler features a bouquet of dried apricot, caramelized pineapple and roasted almonds. A strong vein of acidity backs yellow currant, caramelized pineapple, croissant, toffee and lemon-blossom flavors that coalesce in a surprisingly vivid, lingering finish.”
Visit Llopart
The estate is situated outside the town of Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, the capital of Spanish sparkling wine. This location means that you need a car to get there, or you can take the train from Barcelona (Rodalies, R4), and then take a taxi for the 8-minute ride from Sant Sadurní railway station. The advantage of the location is priceless: the breathtaking view of Monstserrat mountain, the fresh breeze that is so important in Penedès wine region, and actually the vines itself, which surround the estate building. The visit is really enjoyable with family portraits, a spectacular short movie, a little walk in the vineyard, view from the top of the building, taking a glance at the chamber of reserved bottles and a tasting in the chic tasting room with local cheese and sausages.
Right near the estate building there is a restaurant called Mirador – as the name suggests the view is unparallel –, and visitors can combine the visit with a lunch at Mirador at special price. In 2023 the visit with tasting plus a menu of three courses (including wine and water) cost 74 euros.
More about Llopart
Naveran Perles Blanques – international yet local
If you story of this winery is like a romantic novel with love, death, marriages and fortunes. The history of the estate building goes back to as early as the 11th century however, the winery was founded only in 1984 – though with ancestors involved in wine.Naveran Perles Blanques is made of international grapes – Chardonnay and Pinot Noir –, yet the Penedés terroir makes it a true local cava. “Naveran is the surname of a family dedicated to cultivating vineyards and making handcrafted, organic wines and cavas, using a system of micro fermentation, so that its consumers can enjoy products whose grapes have been worked from the vine with the maximum possible effort and sustainability. Its cellars are located in the estate of Can Parellada (Torrelavit) in the centre of the Alt Penedès. Being wine growers and wine makers, cultivating the vines and making the wines, controlling each stage of growth and quality of the grape and using innovative blendings from its own varieties, makes these cellars stand out from the rest in the area.”
Naveran Perles Blanques costs 45 USD in the United States, and it was 20.23 EUR on the webshop of the winery (in a 6-bottle case), but it is sold out now. Mike deSimone from Wine Enthusiast about the wine Naveran Cava:
“Pale yellow in the glass, this energetic sparkler has a bouquet of yellow plum, white chocolate and jasmine. Zesty flavors of Bartlett pear, pink grapefruit, croissant and caramelized nuts wind down to a Valencia orange-scented finish.”
More about Naveran
Mike deSimone and Jeff Jenssen, The World Wine Guys
