NV Dibon Cava Brut Reserve

 

NV Dibon Cava Brut Reserve


Vintage: NV
Region: Penedés, Spain (Cava)
Winery: Bodegas Pinord
Varietal: 60% Xarel-lo, 30% Macabeo, 10% Parellada
Price: $9.99
My Rating: 92 Points

The Review: Over the summer, I decided to ask my friends at the local wine shop here in Charlottesville to select me a few wines. This is something I like to do (and would recommend you do!) because it provides an opportunity to really branch out and try something you may have never even looked at. This wine today, the Dibon Cava Brut Reserve, was one of those wines for me. I'd seen the stand-out yellow label in stores but had always steered clear. When I asked my friends for a wine that "tastes like Champagne, but costs like a college student wine," this is what they sent me, and boy was I pleased.

Cava, as we've talked about in a previous blog (see "Why is Sparkling Wine So Confusing?"), is made in the Champagne Method. So, it's fermented in the bottle and on the dead yeast cells. Dibon's Cava Brut Reserve is aged for 15 months on the dead yeast cells and two years in bottle, which will impart a nice yeasty/doughy flavor. Dibon is also farmed biodynamically, which is a sustainable method of permaculture that I could drone on about forever, but I won't- and it was also the first winery to officially be certified biodynamic by the powers that be. Why does biodynamic farming matter? Aside from the obvious ethical pros of permaculture and sustainable agriculture, biodynamics focuses on every little detail- from the soil microbiota, to the ambient yeasts, to the nutrient content in the soil. It's organics to the extreme, and this attention to detail really comes out in the wine.

On to the tasting notes. The Dibon Cava Brut Reserve offers a beautiful and yeasty nose with aromatics of citrus and green apple. It's quite complex and I gotta say, I was shocked knowing that it was $10. These sorts of aromas are exactly what you want in a Traditional Method wine that can easily cost two or three times as much. The taste was very crisp and fresh with fine and playful bubbles that were balanced by a rich texture. There were notes of green apple, citrus, and a medium finish that was hinting at a fresh brioche.

This wine really was quite good and was super similar to some Champagnes I've had. For $10, this is now my go-to sparkling wine for any occasion or everyday drinking. It hits way above its weight and I can't wait to make my way back to it for a 3rd time!   

drink what you like,

db

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