($19, Pacific Highway Wines & Spirits):  Cava, as most people know, is a D.O. (Spanish equivalent of an appellation) located in the northeast part of the country that produces sparkling wines using the same secondary in-bottle fermentation used in Champagne.  Cava Reserva means that the wine has been aged on the lees for a minimum of 18 months (compared to 9 months for non-reserva), which means they take on additional complexity from contact with the dead yeast (the lees).  This one, a blend of Macabeo (90%) and Chardonnay, conveys richness buttressed by a fine spine of acidity.  (Faustino, a top producer of Rioja, gives away their origin on the back label by using the Rioja name for Macabeo, Viura.)  Don’t be fooled. This Rioja producer has done a fine job with their attractively priced Cava.
88 Michael Apstein Jan 18, 2022