Hello and welcome to my weekly dig through the pile of wine samples that show up asking to be tasted. I’m pleased to bring you the latest installment of Vinography Unboxed, where I highlight some of the better bottles that have crossed my doorstep recently.

I’ve had a few Cava samples showing up recently, so this week I decided to taste through them (along with a few domestic sparklers). A number of them are Gran Reserva designated, which means they must have aged for a minimum of three years on the lees in the bottle, though some of them have been aged for more than that both on the lees and after disgorgement.

Two examples of such wines are the Juvé & Camps and the Mata I Coloma, both of which had pretty patinas of age layered over their core fruit. I loved the berry notes in the Juvé & Camps which were surprising given the fact that no red grapes were used in making the wine. The Mata I Coloma had the baked apple quality of an older sparkling white wine, in this case, one that has aged for 7+ years on the lees.

I’ve reviewed some other wines from Parés Baltà recently, but this week I’m recommending both their “Historic” Gran Reserva Cava and their Rosa Cuisiné, which is their rosé Cava. Of the two I like the rosé just slightly better, but they’re both wonderfully saline and savory in quality.

Creaminess is an interesting sensation. In some still wines it can lead to the wine feeling flabby, but in the mousse of sparkling wines, it’s a textural quality that is usually backed up with great acidity, and therefore much more alluring. I really appreciate that texture in the Cava I tasted from Alta Alella this week, which also had that slightly salty black sesame quality that some sparkling wines can get after their secondary fermentation and lees-aging in the bottle.

Closer to home now, the folks at Iron Horse Vineyards sent through a couple of recent releases, including their annual sparkling tribute to the Chinese Zodiac, which in the case of 2020 was the Year of the Dragon. It’s a straightforward and pleasurable expression of Chardonnay, but preferred their Brut Rosé this week, which has a wonderful red berry expression.

Cuvaison also sent a sparkling wine recently, and this bottle is perhaps one of the best I’ve had from them, so bright lemony, crisp, and vibrant. They don’t make much of it, but if you can get your hands on a bottle I highly recommend it.

Lastly, I’ve got a sparkling…. bottle from Two Shepherds. But I’ve got questions: is it wine? Is it cider? The answer turns out to be… yes. Half vermentino half apple juice co-fermented, and then bottled. This kind of beverage, of course, is all the rage in the natural wine world at the moment, but this is definitely one of the better examples I’ve had. It tastes like a spritzer and a mighty delicious one at that.

Finally, I tasted two single-vineyard Pinots from Calera this week, both of which are good, but one of which, the Ryan Vineyard Pinot, was significantly more fresh and dynamic, possessing that somewhat odd but always compelling note of marijuana resin. I’m not sure why and how sometimes wines express this aroma, but despite not being a pot smoker, I tend to enjoy it when it arises.

Notes on all these below.

Tasting Notes

2017 Juvé & Camps “Reserva de la Familia – Gran Reserva Brut Nature” Cava, Penedès, Spain
Light yellow-gold in the glass with moderately fine bubbles, this wine smells of berries and toasted sesame. In the mouth, a silky mousse delivers berry and apple flavors with a bright zing thanks to excellent acidity. Hints of lemon peel and toasted nuts linger in the finish. A blend of 55% Xarel-lo, 35% Macabeo, and 10% Parellada. 12% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $19. click to buy.

2015 Mata I Coloma “Pere Mata l’Ensamblatge – Gran Reserva” Cava, Penedès, Spain
Light yellow-gold in the glass with moderately sized bubbles, this wine smells of wet chalkboard, lemon zest, and orange zest, plus a hint of baked apple. In the mouth, toasted sesame flavors mix with orange peel, kumquat, and chamomile, as a soft mousse expands across the palate. 11.5% alcohol. Disgorged march 2023. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $23. click to buy.

2018 Parés Baltà “Historic – Gran Reserva Brut Nature” Cava, Penedès, Spain
Light to medium yellow-gold in the glass with moderately fine bubbles, this wine smells of sea air, butterscotch, and candied citrus peel. In the mouth, candied citrus and lemon oil flavors are borne on a soft and voluminous mousse that fills the mouth. Saline notes and hints of toasted bread emerge in the finish. A blend of organically farmed Xarel-lo, Parellada, and Macabeu. 12% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $??

2018 Alta Alella “Mirgin – Gran Reserva Brut Nature” Cava, Penedès, Spain
Light yellow-gold in color with medium-fine bubbles, this wine smells of baked apples, pastry cream, and sea air. In the mouth, a velvety mousse delivers faintly saline flavors of black sesame, apples, and lemon pith. There’s a creamy quality to this wine that is appealing. Very good acidity. A blend of 40% Xarel-lo, 30% Parellada, and 30% Macabeu aged for 48 months on the lees. 12% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9 . Cost: $24. click to buy.

2020 Iron Horse Vineyards “Year of the Dragon Blanc de Blancs” Sparkling wine, Green Valley, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Pale gold in the glass with medium-fine bubbles, this wine smells of apples, lemon oil, and a hint of sea air. In the mouth, a voluminous mousse carries flavors of fuji apple, pear, lemon pith, and a hint of dried herbs. Very good acidity drives a long finish with a faintly chalky note. 100% Chardonnay. 13.5% alcohol. 680 cases made. Score: between 8.5 and 9 . Cost: $75.

2019 Iron Horse Vineyards “Brut Rosé” Sparkling wine, Green Valley, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Light ruby in the glass with copper highlights and moderately-sized bubbles, this wine smells of wet chalkboard, sea air, and citrus peel. In the mouth, a silky mousse fills the mouth and delivers flavors of raspberry and cranberry fruit tinged with citrus peel. Faintly saline flavors with excellent acidity. Pretty. A blend of 38% Pinot Noir and 62% Chardonnay that ages on the lees for 4 years. 13.5% alcohol. 510 cases made. Score: between 8.5 and 9 . Cost: $75. click to buy.

2019 Parés Baltà “Rosa Cuisine – Gran Reserve Brut Nature” Cava Rosé, Penedès, Spain
Light copper in color with a hint of crimson and fine bubbles, this wine smells of strawberry and citrus peel. In the mouth, a faint mousse carries flavors of berries, wet chalkboard, dried herbs, and citrus peel. Savory in quality, with a very nice minerality underneath that turns slightly saline in the finish. 100% Certified Organic Grenache, pressed directly to tank for fermentation. Secondary fermentation in the bottle and then 48 months of aging on the lees before disgorgement. 12% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $26. click to buy.

2020 Cuvaison “Brut Cuvée” Sparkling Wine, Carneros, Napa, California
Pale gold in the glass with moderately fine bubbles, this wine smells of lemon curd, lemon oil, and apples. In the mouth, bright lemon and lemon pith flavors are carried by a smooth, robust mousse across the palate. Hints of apple emerge on the finish but the wine is very citrus-dominated with just a hint of toasted sourdough. Excellent acidity. Very tasty. A blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir aged for two years on the lees in the bottle. No malolactic. 12.5% alcohol. 525 cases made. Score: around 9. Cost: $60. click to buy.

2022 Two Shepherds “Vermentino & Wickson Apples” Sparkling Wine, North Coast, California
Light yellow-gold in the glass with a hint of green and very fine bubbles, this wine smells of lemon and pastry cream. In the mouth, a creamy, silky mousse delivers flavors of vanilla, lemon, pastry cream, and a hint of sugar cane. Quite pleasant and quaffable. A blend of 50% Vermentino and 50% Wickson apple juice, cofermented and then aged in a neutral barrel for 10 months. Hand-bottled with minimal sulfur. Unfined and unfiltered. 11.3% alcohol. 25 cases made. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $30.

2020 Calera “Mills Vineyard” Pinot Noir, Mount Harlan, Central Coast, California
Light to medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of cedar, raspberry, and chopped herbs. In the mouth, silky flavors of cedar, brown sugar, cherry, and raspberry are wrapped in gauzy tannins. Dried herbs and citrus peel linger in the finish with a hint of red apple skin. Grown at 2200 feet of elevation. 14.5% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $95. click to buy.

2020 Calera “Ryan Vineyard” Pinot Noir, Mount Harlan, Central Coast, California
Light to medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of marijuana resin and raspberries. In the mouth, raspberry and citrus peel mix with resinous green herbs and a faintly saline umami quality that is quite alluring. Excellent acidity with faintly gauzy tannins. Grown at 2200 feet of elevation. 14.5% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $95. click to buy.