WTN: Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava NV

Penedes

A blend of Macabeo (50 per cent), Parellada (35) and Xarel-lo.

Good frothy mousse.

Pale yellow in the glass.

Nutty, apples on the nose.

Medium weight, green apple, lemon, spicy, mouthwatering, mild bitter citrus rind, crisp, refreshing, clean, lightly honeyed.

Mouthwatering and lemon on the finish.

Always a decent tipple.

Purchased at $14.55 (Canadian).

Bought a case of this before Christmas, having tasted it and then gone through a couple of bottles. $7 at CostPlus for their club members. Rather decent everyday bubbly.

It's available around Seattle for between $6 and $7. I found nothing at all to dislike about it but nothing to really admire except the incredibly low price. Great label.

If you come across the Segura Viudas Reserva Heredad Accolades, I'd be interested in knowing what you think about it. Of the Freizenet higher-end cavas, I still prefer their Reserva Real over the Heredad Accolades, but do enjoy the latter. My notes from a Spanish dinner on the 24th November 2010:

...A quick look at the producer's website shows that:

Segura Viudas Reserva Heredad is a limited production méthode champenoise wine originally reserved for members of the Segura family and their friends. Reserva Heredad is made exclusively from grapes grown in the estate's vineyards at Torrelavit in the Alt Penedès region of Spain. Only the first pressing of the Macabeo and Parellada grapes goes into the making of the cuvée. The yeast is added and the wine is allowed to develop in the bottle for up to four years.

Medium bodied and mellow with a perfumed bouquet, character and depth. A good fruit intensity on the palate and a long and slightly yeasty finish. Reserva Heredad comes in an exquisite hand-blown bottle with a slender, tapered neck. The bottle is emblazoned with the pewter crest of Segura Viudas and rests on a pewter base inscribed with grapes.

Further, this is made up of macabeo (67%) and parellada (33%), so, apparently, there is none of the usual xarel-lo in this cava. Fuller, heftier, relatively creamy and notably round, its fruit, like the Reserva Real's, has a slight dried/candied character to it. The Reserva Real has, to my recollection, a bit more depth, complexity and heft, but the subject cava does, in my opinion, have marked similarities. I liked this a lot and certainly wouldn't mind buying some for the house. Very nice.

Bruce, I think your TNs nailed the wine perfectly. If I owned the winery I'd give the winemaker a big bonus for doing this well with apparently such inexpensive fruit. (How else could they sell the wine for so little.)