Bright yellow-gold with hint of green color; citrus, little green apples nose; lemon, green apple, lime, white peach on the palate;
fresh, firm, nicely biting acidity (3.15 pH); fine, persistent bubbles. This intense cava is made with 55% macabeo, 40% parellada and 5% xarel.lo grapes, classical varieties of the region.
As happens in Old World back stories, Valarnau has ancient roots—the Valarnau family settled in the Penedes region near Barcelona in the 1100s, wine making may have begun in the 1300s. The first cavas with the Vilarnau label were produced in 1949. The Gonzalez Byass wine family, a major Spanish maker, purchased the operation in 1982; they built a new winery in 2005 in the center of the Vilarnau estate. Spanish cavas are the great values in sparkling wine, and this is nice example. $17-19
Vilarnau website
Gonzales Byass website
Second photo: Vilarnau winery and vineyard
